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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


^ 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bjbliographiques 


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n 


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I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagee 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
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Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  g^ographiques  en  couleur 


D 
D 
D 
D 


D 


D 


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Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

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I — I    Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 

edition  available/ 
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□    Only  edition  available/ 
Seule 


n 


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Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellemant 
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This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 
Ce  document  est  film*  au  tai-x  de  reduction  indiqud  ci-dessous. 
lOX 14X  18X 


22X 


26X 


TT 


30X 


12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


iro 
details 

les  du 
modifier 
I3r  une 
filnnage 


es 


jrrata 
to 


pelure. 
n  a 


J 


32X 


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la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

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dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ►signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

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et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nicessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


1 

2 

r 

3 

4 

5 

6 

SCRIBNER'S   SERIES   OF  SCHOOL 
READING. 


In  Uniforsn  Binding: ;  each  iimo,  net,  60  Cents. 


The  Cable  Story  Book.  Selections  for  School  Read- 
ing, with  the  Story  of  the  Author's  Life.  Edited  by 
Mary  E.  Burt  and  Lucy  Leffingwell  Cable.    Illustrated. 

The  Eugene  Field  Book.  Verses,  Stories,  and  Let- 
ters for  School  Reading.  Edited  by  Mary  E.  Burt 
and  Mary  B  Cable.  Introduction  by  George  W. 
Cable.     Illustrated. 

Fanciful  Tales.  By  Frank  R.  Stockton.  Edited  by 
Julia  E.  Langworthy.     Introduction  by  Mary  E.  Burt. 


By  Edward  Eggleston. 


The  Hoosier  School-Boy. 
Illustrated. 

Children's  Stories  in  American  Literature,  1660- 
1860.     By  Henrietta  C.  Wright. 

Children's  Stories  in  American  Literature,  1860- 
1896.     By  Henrietta  C.  Wright. 

Odysseus,  the  Hero  of  Ithaca.  By  Mary  E.  Burt. 
A  Translation  of  the  Story  of  Odysseus  as  used  in  the 
Schools  of  Athens  and  Berlin.     Fully  Illustrated. 

Poems  OF  American  Patriotism.  Chosen  by  Brander 
Matthews.     285  pages. 

Twelve  Naval  Captains.  By  Molly  Elliot  Seawell. 
233  pages.     Illustrated. 


LOBO,   RAG,  AND  VIXEN 


f 
I 


LOBO,  RAG,  AND  VIXEN 


AND  PICTURES 


BY 


ERNEST  SETON  THOMPSON 

AUTHOR   OF   "WILD  ANIMALS   I    HAVE   KNOWN."   "ART  ANATOMY 

OF  ANIMALS,"   ETC. 


Being  the  Personal  Histories  of 
LOBO 
REDRUFF 
RAGGYLUG   6- 
VIXEN 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 

1899 


LP 


Copyright,  1899,  by 
ERNESl    SETON  THOMPSON 


\ 


I 


} 


TROW  OIRECTOHy 

PRINTINQ  AND  BOOKBINOINO  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK 


V 

^ 

^ 

% 
^ 


NOTE    TO    THE  READER 


These  Stories,  selected  from  those  published  in 
"  Wild  Animals  I  Have  Known;'  are  true  his- 
tories of  the  animals  described,  and  are  intended 
to  show  hozv  their  lives  are  lived. 

Though  the  lower  animals  have  no  language 
in  the  full  sense  as  zve  understand  it,  they  have 
a  system  of  soimds,  signs,  touches,  tastes,  and 
smells  that  ansivers  the  purpose  of  lafiguage,  and 
I  merely  translate  this,  when  fiecessary,  into 
English. 

Ernest  Seton  Thompson 


144  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 
May  7,  i8g<f 


# 


I    i  ( 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


,  FACING 

FACiK 

LOBO  AND   BlANCA    .  ,  .  ,0 

•  •  •  •  «         IS 

Redruff  Savinci  Runtie        ....  6 

Mammy!  Mammy!  ,  .  ^o 

7° 

TllEY    TUSSLEU   AND    FoUGHT   ....  t    ft 


i<  I 


\ 


<ii^ 


LOBO 
THE  KING  OF  CURRUMPAW 


-^<iJ 


t-T*. 


^  ^^  ;t.  / 


V, 


/^ 


'^ 


LOBO 
THE  KING  OF  CURRUMPAW 


CURRUMPAW  is  a  vast  cattle  range  in 
northern  New  Mexico.  It  is  a  land  of 
rich  pastures  and  teeming  flocks  and 
herds,  a  land  of  rolling  mesas  and  precious 
running  waters  that  at  length  unite  in  the  Cur- 
rumpaw  River,  from  which  the  whole  region 
is  named.  And  the  king  whose  despotic  pow- 
er  was  felt  over  its  entire  extent  was  an  old 
gray  wolf. 

Old  Lobo,  or  the  king,  as  the  Mexicans  called 
him,  was  the  gigantic  leader  of  a  remarkable 
pack  of  gray  wolves,  that  had  ravaged  the 
Currumpaw  Valley  for  a  number  of  years. 
All  the  shepherds  and  ranchmen  knew  him* 
well,  and,  wherever  he  appeared  with  his 
trusty  band,  terror  reigned  supreme  among 
the  cattle,  and  wrath  and  despair  among  their 
owners.  Old  Lobo  was  a  giant  among  wolves, 
and  was  cunning  and  strong  in  proportion  to 

3 


ill 


4  Lobo 

his  size  His  voice  at  night  was  well-known 
and  eas,ly  distingnished  from  that  of  any  of 
his  fellows  An  ordinary  wolf  might  howl  half 
the  mght  about  the  herdsman's  bivouac  wth 

when  the  r"^  '"""  '"'''"  '''  "'''^^"'^  "°«-.  "ut 
when  the  deep  roar  of  the  old  king  came  boom- 

ims  r^'"'   ^•-'"-'   "-  watcter   bestirred 

th^t  fir  T^""'"^  '°  '"'"""  '"  'he  morning 
that  fresh  and  serious  inroads  had  been  made 
among  the  herds. 

I  n°l''n'?  '"f  "''  ""'  ■''  ^"'='"  °"«-  This 
1  never  quite  understood,  for  usually,  when  a 

wolf  rises  to  the  position  and  power  that  he 

hao  he  attracts  a  numerous  following     It  mav 

be  that  he  had  as  maay  as  he  desire^d,  or  per! 

haps  his  ferocious    temper  prevented  the  in 

crease  of  his  pack.     Certain  is  it  that  Lo  o 

had  only  five  followers  during  the  latter  part 

of  his  reign.     Each  of  these,  however,  was  a 

wolf  of  renown,  most  of  them  were  above  the 

c°ommTL'^^'  °"^  '"  ^""'■'="'--  '"<=  --"^" 
command,  was  a  veritable  giant,  but  even  he 

was  far  belo.  the  leader  in  size  and  prowess 

Several  of  the  band,  besides  the  two  leaders 

were  especially   noted.     One   of  those   was  a 

beau  iful  white  wolf,  that  the  Mexicans  cal  ed 

possibly  Lobo  s  mate.     Another  was  a  yellow 


Lobo  - 

wolf  of  remarkable  swiftness,  which,  accordino- 
to  current  stories,  had,  on  several  occasions" 
captured  an  antelope  for  the  pack. 

It  will  be  seen,  then,  that  these  wolves  were 
thoroughly  well-known   to  the  cowboys  and 
shepherds.     They   were  frequently  seen  and 
oftener  heard,  and  their  lives  were  intimately 
associated  with   those  of  the   cattlemen,  who 
would  so  gladly  have  destroyed  them.     There 
was  not  a  stockman  on  the  Currumpaw  who 
would  not   readily   have  given   the   value   of 
many  steers  for  the  scalp  of  any  one  of  LoBo's 
band,   but   they  seemed   to   possess    charmed 
lives,  and  defied  all  manner  of  devices  to  kill 
them.     They  scorned  all  hunters,  derided  all 
poisons,  and  continued,  for  at  least  five  years 
to  exact  their  tribute   from   the   Currumpaw 
ranchers  to  the  extent,  many  said,  of  a  cow 
each  day.     According  to  this  estimate,  there- 
fore, the  band  had  killed  more  than  two  thou- 
sand  of  the  finest  stock,  for,  as  was  only  too 
well-known,  they  selected    the  best  in  every 
instance.  ^ 

The  old  idea  that  a  wolf  was  constantly  in  a 
starving  state,  and  therefore  ready  to  eat  any- 
thing, was  as  far  as  possible  from  the  truth  in 
this  case,  for  these  freebooters  were  always 
sleek  and  well-conditioned,  and   were  in   fact 


Lobo 


i 


most  fastidious  about  what    tlicy   ate.      Any 
animal  that  had  died  from  natural  causes,  or 
that  was  diseased  or  tainted,  they  would  not 
touch,  and  they  even   rejected   auythini,^  that 
had  been  killed  by  the  stockmen.    Their  choice 
and  daily  food  was  the  tenderer  part  of  a  fresh- 
ly  killed  yearling  heifer.     An  old  bull  or  cow 
they  disdained,  and  though  they  occasionally 
took  a  young  calf  or  colt,  it  was  quite  clear 
that  veal  or  horseflesh  was  not  their  favorite 
diet       t  was  also  known  that  they  were  not 
fond  o    mutton,  although  they  often  amused 
themselves  by  killing    sheep.     One  night   in 
November,   ,893,  Blanca  and  the  yellow  wolf 
killed  two  hundred  and  fifty  sheep,  apparently 
for  the  fun  of  it,  and  did  not  eat  an  ounce  of 
their  flesh. 

These  are  examples  of  many  stories  which  I 
might  repeat,  to  show  the  ravages  of  this  de 
structive  band.     Many  new  devices  for  their 
extinction  were  tried  each  year,  but  still  they 
ived  and  throve  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of 
their  foes.     A  great  price  was  set  on  Lobo's 
head,  and  in  consequence  poison  in  a  score  of 
subtle  forms  was  put  out  for  him,  but  he  never 
failed  to  detect  and  avoid  it.     One  thing  only 
he  feared-that  was  firearms,  and  knowing  full 
well  that  all  men  in  this  region  carried  them 


Lobo  tj 

he  never  was  known  to  attack  or  face  a  human 
being.     Indeed,  the  set  policy  of  his  band  was 
to  take  refuge  m  flight  whenever,  in  the  day- 
time, a  man  was  descried,  no  matter  at  what 
distance.    Lobo's  habit  of  permitting  the  pack 
to  eat  only  that  which  they  themselves  had 
killed,  was  in  numerous  cases  their  salvation, 
and  the  keenness  of  his  scent  to  detect  the  taint 
of  human  hands  or  the  poison  itself,  completed 
their  immunity. 

On  one  occasion,  one  of  the  cowboys  heard 
the  too  familiar  rallying-cry  of  Old  Lobo,  and 
stealthily  approaching,  he  found  the  Currum- 
paw  pack  in  a  hollow,  where  they  had  'round- 
ed up  '  a  small  herd  of  cattle.     Lobo  sat  apart 
on  a  knoll,  while  Blanca  with  the  rest  was  en- 
deavoring  to  '  cut  out '  a  young  cow,  which 
they  had  selected  ;  but  the  cattle  were  standing 
in  a  compact  mass  with  their  heads  outward 
and  presented  to  the  foe  a  line  of  horns,  un- 
broken save  when  some  cow,  frightened  by  a 
fresh  onset  of  the  wolves,  tried  to  retreat  into 
the  middle  of  the  herd.     It  was  only  by  taking 
advantage  of  these  breaks  that  the  wolves  had 
succeeded  at  all  in  wounding  the  selected  cow 
but  she  was  far  from   being  disabled,  and  it 
seemed  that  Lobo  at  length  lost  patience  with 
his  followers,  for  he  left  his  position  on  the  hill 


8 


Lobo 


and,  uttering  a  deep  roar,  dashed  toward  the 
herd.  The  terrified  rank  broke  at  his  charge, 
and  he  sprang  in  among  them.  Then  the  cattle 
scattered  like  the  pieces  of  a  bursting  bomb. 
Away  went  the  chosen  victim,  but  ere  she  had 
gone  twenty-five  yards  Lobo  was  upon  her. 
Seizing  her  by  the  neck  he  suddenly  held  back 
with  all  his  force  and  so  threw  her  heavily  to 
the  ground.  The  shock  must  have  been  tre- 
mendous, for  the  heifer  was  thrown  heels  over 
head.  Lobo  also  turned  a  somersault,  but  im- 
mediately recovered  himself,  and  his  followers 
falling  on  the  poor  cow,  killed  her  in  a  few  sec- 
onds. Lobo  took  no  part  in  the  killing— after 
having  thrown  the  victim,  he  seemed  to  say, 
"  Now,  why  could  not  some  of  you  have  done 
that  at  once  without  wasting  so  much  time?" 

The  man  now  rode  up  shouting,  the  wolves 
as  usual  retired,  and  he,  having  a  bottle  of 
strychnine,  quickly  poisoned  the  carcass  in 
three  places,  then  went  away,  knowing  they 
would  return  to  feed,  as  they  had  killed  the 
animals  themselves.  But  next  morning,  on  go- 
ing to  look  for  his  expected  victims,  he  found 
that,  although  the  wolves  had  eaten  the  heifer, 
they  had  carefully  cut  out  and  thrown  aside  all 
those  parts  that  had  been  poisoned. 

The  dread  of  this  great  wolf  spread  yearly 


toward  the 
his  charge, 
;n  the  cattle 
,ting  bomb, 
ere  she  had 

upon  her. 
y  held  back 
r  heavily  to 
e  been  tre- 
L  heels  over 
Lult,  but  im- 
iis  followers 
n  a  few  sec- 
illing — after 
Tied  to  say, 
Li  have  done 
ch  time?" 
,  the  wolves 
a  bottle  of 

carcass  in 
lowing  they 
d  killed  the 
rning,  on  go- 
ns,  he  found 
in  the  heifer, 
)wn  aside  all 

)read  yearly 


1 


Lobo  g 

among  the  ranchmen,  and  each  year  a  larger 
price  was  set  on  his  head,  until  at  last  it  reached 
$1,000,   an   unparalleled   wolf-bounty,   surely 
many  a  good  man  has  been  hunted  down  for 
less.     Tempted    by   the  promised    reward,   a 
Texan  ranger  named  Tannerey  came  one  day 
galloping  up  the  canon  of  the  Currumpaw.    He 
had  a  superb  outfit  for  wolf-hunting— the  best 
of  guns  and  horses,  and  a  pack  of  enormous 
wolf-hounds.     Far  out  on  the  plains  of  the  Pan- 
handle,  he  and  his  dogs  had  killed  many  a  wolf 
and  now  he  never  doubted  that,  within  a  few 
days,  old  Lobo's  scalp  would  dangle  at  his  sad- 
die-bow. 

Away  they  went  bravely  on  their  hunt  in  the 
gray  dawn  of  a  summer  morning,  and  soon  the 
great  dogs  gave  joyous  tongue  to  say  that  they 
were  already   on   the   track   of  their   quarry 
Within  two  miles,  the  gnzzXy  band  of  Currum- 
paw  leaped  into  view,  and  the  chase  grew  fast 
and  furious.     The  part  of  the  wolf-hounds  was 
merely  to  hold  the  wolves  at  bay  till  the  hunter 
could  ride  up  and  shoot  them,  and  this  usually 
was   easy  on  the  open  plains  of  Texas  ;   but 
here  a  new  feature  of  the  country  came  into 
play,  and  showed  how  well  Lobo  had  chosen 
his  range  ;  for  the  rocky  cafions  of  the  Currum- 
paw  and  its  tributaries  intersect  the  prairies  in 


10 


Lobo 


every  direction.     The  old  wolf  at  once  made 
for  the  nearest  of  these  and  by  crossing  it  got 
nd  of  the  horsemen.     His  band  then  scattered 
and  thereby  scattered  tl,e  dogs,  and  when  they 
reunited  at  a  distant  point  of  course  all  of  the 
dogs  did  not  turn  up,  and  the  wolves,  no  longer 
outnumbered,   turned   on   their  pursuers   and 
killed  or  desperately  wounded  them  all.     That 
night  when  Tannerey  mustered  his  dogs,  only 
SIX  o   them  returned,  and  of  these,  two  were 
ternbly    lacerated.      This    hunter    made    two 
other  attempts  to  capture  the  royal  scalp,  but 
neither  of  them  was  more  successful  than  the 
first,  and  on  the  last  occasion  his  best  horse 
met  Its  death  by  a  fall ;   so  he  gave  up  the 
chase  ,n  disgust  and  went  back  to  Te.'cas,  leav- 
ing Lobo  more  than  ever  the  despot  of  the 
region. 

Next  year,  two  other  hunters  appeared,  de- 
termined to  win  the  promised  bounty.     Each 
believed  he  could  destroy  this  noted  wolf,  the 
hrst  by  means  of  a  newly  devised  poison,  which 
was  to  be  laid  out  in  an  entirely  new  manner; 
the   other  a   French   Canadian,  by  poison  as- 
sisted with  certain  spells  and   charms,   for  he 
firmly    believed    that    Lobo   was    a  veritable 
loup-garou,'  and  could  not  be  killed   by  or- 
dwary   means.      But   cunningly  compounded 


IM" 


once  made 
ssing  it  got 
n  scattered 
when  they 
e  all  of  the 
>,  no  longer 
suers   and 
all.     That 
dogs,  only 
two  were 
nade    two 
scalp,  but 
f  than  the 
3est  horse 
^e  up  the 
Jxas,  leav- 
ot  of  the 

;ared,  de- 
y*  Each 
wolf,  the 
)n,  which 
manner ; 
Dison  as- 
5,  for  he 
v^eritable 
1  by  or- 
30unded 


LoSo 

poisons  charms,  and  incantations  were  all  of 
no  ava.1  against  this  grizzly  devastator.  He 
made  h,s  weekly  rounds  and  daily  banquets  a! 
aforefme,  and  before  many  wee  J  had 'passed 
Calone  and  Laloche  gave  up  in  despa^  Tnd 
went  elsewhere  to  hunt. 

attt,!i%'^""^  °^  "^^'""^^  ^^'  unsuccessful 
attempt  to  capture  Lobo,  Joe  Calone   had  a 

hum, hatmg  experience,  which  seems  to  show 

lone.^Lt      '^  '°""''""  '"   '^™^<="-     Ca- 
lone s    farm  was  on  a  small   tributary  of  the 

vards  of  th  T  ""'^  ''"°"'  ^''''''°  =^  thousand 

Ced  the     H       '';'^  Lobo  and  his  mate  se- 

ected  their  den  and  raised  their  family   that 

kid  Joe  s  cattle,  sheep,  and  dogs,  but  laughed 
at  all  h,s  poisons  and  traps,  and  rested  secure 
ly  among  the  recesses  of  the  cavernou    cliffs" 
while  Joe  vainly  racked  his  brain  for  some  m  J' 
od  of  smoking  them  out,  or  of  reaching  Them 

scathe  J""!''"  ^"*  '""^y  --P^d  entirdj  un 
ca  hed  and  continued  their  ravages  as  before 
There  s  where    he    lived  all    last   summer  • 

sa.d  Joe,  pointing  to  the  face  of  the  cM^anH 

Lrhil^.°^'-^-''^--wf'nr^ 


12 


Lobo 


M   , 


II 

This  history,  gathered  so  far  ft-om  the  cow. 
boys,  I  found  hard  to  believe  until,  in  the  fall 
of  1893,  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  the   wily 
marauder,  and   at  length  came  to   know   him 
more   thoroughly    than    anyone   else.      Some 
years  before,  in  the  Bingo  days,  I  had  been  a 
wolf-hunter,  but  my  occupations  since  then  had 
been  of  another  sort,  chaining  me  to  stool  and 
desk.     I  was  much  in  need  of  a  change,   and 
when   a   friend,  who  was  also  a  ranch-owner 
on  the  Currumpaw,  asked  me  to  come  to  New 
Mexico   and   try  if  I  could  do  anything  with 
this  predatory  pack,  I  accepted  the  invitation 
and,   eager  to   make  the   acquaintance   of   its 
king,  was  as  soon  as  possible  among  the  mesas 
of   hat  region.     I  spent  some  time  riding  about 
to  learn  the  country,  and  at  intervals,  my  guide 
would  point  to  the  skeleton  of  a  cow  to  which 
the  hide  still  adhered,  and   remark,  "  That's 
some  of  his  work." 

It  became  quite  clear  to  me  that,  in  this 
rough  country,  it  was  useless  to  think  of  pur- 
sumg  Lobo  with  hounds  and  horses,  so  that 
poison  or  traps  were  the  only  available  expe- 
dients At  present  we  had  no  traps  large 
enough,  so  I  set  to  wo:k  with  poison. 


4 


Lobo 


13 


>m  the  cow. 
,  in  the  fall 
3f  the   wily 

know  him 
Ise.  Some 
had  been  a 
::e  then  had 
3  stool  and 
lange,  and 
inch-owner 
ne  to  New 
thing  with 

invitation 
nee  of  its 
the  mesas 
:ling  about 
.  my  guide 

to  which 
,   "That's 

t,  in  this 
>k  of  pur- 
!,  so  that 
ble  expe- 
ips  large 


I    need  not  enter  into  the  details  of  a  hun- 
dred    devices  that  I  employed   to  circumv-nt 
this  '  loup-garou  • ;  there  was   no   combination 
of  strychnine,  arsenic,  cyanide,  or  prussic  acid 
that  I  did  not  essay ;  there  was  no  manner  of 
flesh  that  I  did  not  tr-  as  bait ;  but  morning 
after  morning,  as  I  rode  forth  to  learn  the  result 
1  found  that  all  my  efforts   had   been   useless! 
The  old  king  was  too  cunning  for  me.     A  sin- 
gle instance  will  show  his  wonderful  sagacity 
Acting  on  the  hint  of  an  old  trapper,  I  melted 
some  cheese  together  with  the  kidney  fat  of  a 
freshly  killed  heifer,  stewing  it  in  a  china  dish 
and  cutting  it  with  a  bone  knife  to  avoid  the 
taint  of  metal.     When  the  mixture  was  cool,  I 
cut  it  into  lumps,  and  making  a  hole   in   one 
side   of  each  lump,  I  inserted  a  large  dose  of 
strychnine  and  cyanide,  contained  in  a  capsule 
that  was  impermeable  by  any  odor;   finally  I 
sealed  the  holes  up  with  pieces  of  the  cheese 
Itself.     During   the   whole   process,    I   wore  a 
pair  of  gloves  steeped  in  the  hot  blood  of  the 
heifer,   and    even   avoided    breathing   on    the 
baits.     When  all  was   ready,  I  put  them  in  a 
raw-hide  bag  rubbed  all  over  with  blood,  and 
rode  forth  dragging  the  liver  and  kidneys  of 
the   beef  at  the   end  of   a  rope.     With  this  I 
made   a   ten-mile  circuit,   dropping  a   bait   at 


H 


Lobo 


if! 


range  in  the  early  part  of  each  vl.I        ■  " 

the  latter  n-.rf    .,  ^*'^*' '*'««'^>  and  passed 

,  ^^   P'"^'-    "    was    SUpnosCf)     .-lr,^,.„^^    .u 

base  of  Sierra  Grande     T^-  .  "^  ""^ 

that  same  eveni„r.r  ""*'  ^^°"^='^'  ^"^ 

I  heard  tL!,!'       '''^  "^"^  '''''""t  *"  '"etire, 

hear    g  i  'on^of  ^  "k"^'  °'  "''  "''^J^^'^-    «" 
"Therf"erw:Vsee'°'^'"'"^'^'"^^'^^'^' 

kniw'thrrirr' '  "^■"  ^°'-"''  -^- '° 

of  the  robb  r    tith  lT  "'"!  °"  ""*  '^"^  *■•-' 
,.„     .       °®"'  ^^''n  Lobo  in  the  lead— his  tn.  • 

was  always  easily  distinguished      An  Ta 
wolfs  forefoot  i/^  1/ •     t     ,  ^"ordinary 

wolf  .  Z       I     "^^  "''''^'  '°"&'  "lat  of  a  laree 
wolf  45^  inches,  but  Lobos    as  m»,c      J 
number  of  times  was  .r/        k  '"'  "^^^^--ed  a 
heel-  I  ,ff  ^' ^^^^  5K  inches  from  claw  to 

heel,  I  afterward  found  that  his  other  nronnr 
tions  were  commensunt^    f„     u  P'^opor- 

feet  high  at  th^  .?    >i  '         ^^  ''°°''  '^ree 
"gn  at  the  shoulder,  and   weie-herl    ,..« 

trace.    The  pack  had  soon  found  the  trart     f 
«y  drag,  and  as  usual  followed  it     I  Mm 
that  Lobo  had  come  fo  thlfir  '  bl>        f ! 
about  if  nnH  »,o  7  r     .  ^^  ^^^*'  sniffed 

oout  It  and  hp(J  finauy  picked  it  up. 

1  hen  I  could  not  conceal  my  dehVhf      «  t. 
P-ot  him  M  Inef  "  T        ,  .  -^  "eiignt.     "I've 

gt  him  at  last,    I  exclauned  ;  "  I  shall  fi„d  him 


35- 


,.'^» 


Lobo 


15 


:  the  utmost 
my  hands, 
part  of  the 
,  and  passed 
around  the 
Monday,  and 
It  to  retire, 
ijesty.    On 
remarked, 

I,  eager  to 
fresh  trail 
—his  trac:. 
I  ordinary 
of  a  large 
-asured  a 
n  claw  to 
r  propor- 
>od  three 
?hed    150 
obscured 
ifficult  to 
track  of 
'Ould  see 
,  sniffed 

.    "I've 
^nd  him 


stark  within  a  mile,"  and   I  galloped  on  with 
eagei  eyes  fixed  on  the  great  broad  track  in 
tfic  dust.     It  led  me  to  the  second  bait  and  that 
also  was  gone.     Mow  I  exulted— I  surely  have 
him  now  and  perhaps  several  of  his  band.     But 
there  was  the  broad  paw-mark still  on  the  drag; 
and  though  I  stood  in  the  stirrup  and  scanned 
the  plain  I  saw  nothing  that  looked  like  a  dead 
wolf.     Again  I  followed— to  find  now  that  the 
third  bait  was  gone— and  the  king-wolf's  track 
led  on  to  the  fourth,  there  to  learn  that  he  had 
not  really  taken  a  bait  at  all,  but  had   merely 
carried  them  in  his  mouth.     Then  having  piled 
the  three  on  the  fourth,  he  scattered  filth  over 
them  to  express   his   utter  contempt   for   my 
devices.     After  this  he  left  my  drag  and  went 
about  his  business  with  the  pack  he  guarded  so 
effectively. 

This  is  only  one  of  many  similar  experiences 
which  convinced  me  that  poison  would  never 
avail  to  destroy  this  robber,  and  though  I  con- 
tinned  to  use  it  while  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
the  traps,  it  was  only  because  it  was  meanwhile 
a  sure  means  of  killing  many  prairie  wolves  and 
other  destruct've  vermin. 

About  this  time  there  came  under  my  obser- 
vation an  incident  that  will  illustrate  Lobo's 
diabolic  cunning.     These  wolves  had  at  least 


,M* 


i6 


Lobo 


I 
I 


one  pursuit  which  was  merely  an  amusement 
t  was  stampeding  and  killing  sheep,  though 

ept  m  flocks  of  from  one  thousand  to  t^-ree 
thousand  under  one  or  more  shepherds  At 
n|ght  they  are  gathered  in  the  mos't  she  Ltd 

side  of  the  fiock  to  g.ve  additional  protection 
Sheep  a     ,„,h  senseless  creatures  that  they  a  "e 
.able  to  be  stampeded  by  the  veriest  trifle  but 
they  have  deeply  ingrained  in  their  nature  o„e 
and  perhaps  only  one,  strong  weakness.  nTmel 
to  fol  ow  their  leader.     And  this  the  shepherds' 
turn  to  good  account  by  putting  half  a  dozen 
goats  m  the  flock  of  sheep.     The  latter  recog 

cTsins'  "r"r  ""'^'"■^'■"^^  "f  '^-^  "-de^d 
cousins,  and  when  a  night  alarm  occurs  they 

crowd  around  them,  and  usually  are  thus  saved 

from  a  stampede  and  are  easily  protected.     But 

U  was  not  always  so.     One  night  late  in  las 

November,  two  Perico  shepherds  were  aroused 

ar'o::;r'  °'  "°'^"-  ^■^'^-^  «-''^  ''"^^11 

around  the  goats,  which  being  neither  fools 
nor  cowards,  stood  their  ground  and  were 
bravely  defiant ;  but  alas  for  them,  no  common 
wolf  was  heading  this  attack.     Old  Lobo   the 

we.r.wolf,knewaswellasthesliepherds'ta 
the  goats  were  the  moral  force  of  the  flock,  so 


Lobo 


musement, 
'P,  though 
re  usually 
i  to  t^ree 
lerds.     At 

sheltered 
)s  on  each 
•rotection. 
t  they  are 
trifle,  but 
iture  one, 
5,  namely, 
hepherds 

a  dozen 
"r  recog- 

bearded 
urs  they 
us  saved 
2d.     But 
5  in  last 
aroused 
huddled 
er  fools 
d   were 
common 
>bo,  the 
ds  that 
lock^  so 


17 


hastily  running  over  the  backs  of  the  densely 
packed  sheep,  he  fell  on   these   leaders,  slew 
them  all  in  a  few  minutes,  and  soon  had  the 
luckless  sheep  stampeding  in  a  thousand  differ- 
ent  directions.     For  weeks  afterward  I  was  al- 
most  daily  accosted  by  some  anxious  shepherd 
who  asked,  "  Have  you  seen  any  stray  OTO 
sheep  lately?"  and  usually  I  was  obliged  to  say 
I  had ;  one  day  it  was,  "  Yes,  I  came  on  some 
hve  or  six  carcasses  by  Diamond   Springs-" 
or  another,  it  was  to  the  effect  that  I  had  seen 
a  small '  bunch '  running  on  the  Malpai  Mesa  • 
or    again,   "No,   but  Juan   Meira    saw  about 
twenty,  freshly  killed,   on    the   Cedra   Monte 
two  days  ago." 

At  length  the  wolf  traps  arrived,  and  with 
two  men  I  worked  a  whole  week  to  get  them 
properly  set  out.    We  spared  no  labor  or  pains 
I  adopted  every  device  I  could  think  of  that 
might  help  to  insure  success.     The  second  day 
after  the  traps   arrived,  I   rode  around  to  in. 
spect,  and  soon  came  upon  Lobo's  trail  running- 
from  trap  to  trap.     In  the  dust  I  could  read  the 
whole  story  of  his  doings  that  night.     He  had 
trotted  along  in  the  darkness,  and  although  the 
traps  were  so  carefully  concealed,  he  had  in- 
stantly detected   the  first  one.     Stopping  the 
onward  march  of  the  pack,  he  had  cautiously 


i8 


Lobo 


scratched  around  it  until  he  had  disclosed  the 
trap,   the   chain,  and   the  log,  then  left  them 
wholly  exposed  to  view  with  the  trap  still  un- 
sprung,  and  passing  on  he  treated  over  a  dozen 
traps  in  the  same  fashion.     Very  soon  I  noticed 
that  he  stopped  and  turned  aside  as  soon  as  he 
detected  suspicious  signs  on  the  trail,  and  a  new 
plan  to  outwit  him  at  once  suggested  itself.     I 
set  the  traps  in  the  form  of  an  H  ;  that  is,  with 
a  row  of  traps  on  each  side  of  the  trail,  and 
one  on  the  irail  for  the  cross-bar  of  the  H,    Be- 
fore long,  I  had  an   opportunity  to  count  an- 
other  failure.     Lobo  came  trotting  along  the 
trail,  and  was  fairly  between  the  parallel  lines 
before  he  detected  the  single  trap  in  the  trail, 
but  he  stopped  in  time,  and  why  and  how  he 
knew  enough  I  cannot  tell;  the  Angel  of  the 
wild  things  must  have  been  with  him,  but  with- 
out  turning  an  inch  to   the  right  or  left,  he 
slowly  and  cautiously  backed  on  his  own  tracks, 
putting  each  paw  exactly  in  its  old  track  until 
he  was  off  the  dangerous  ground.    Then  return- 
ing  at  one  side  he  scratched  clods  and  stones 
with  his  hind  feet  till  he  had  sprung  every  trap. 
This  he  did  on  many  other  occasions,  and  al- 
though  I  varied  my  methods  and  redoubled  my 
precautions,  he  was  never  deceived,  his  sagac- 
ity  seemed  never  at  fault,  and  he  might  have 


::losed  the 
left  them 
p  still  un- 
2r  a  dozen 
I  I  noticed 
soon  as  he 
and  a  new 

itself.  I 
it  is,  with 
trail,  and 
cH,  Be- 
count  an- 
ilong  the 
illel  lines 
the  trail, 
'■  how  he 
el  of  the 
but  with- 

left,  he 
^n  tracks, 
ick  until 
n  return- 
d  stones 
ery  trap, 
r  and  al- 
ibied my 
s  sagac- 
:ht  have 


i 


ft 

c 

c 

o 
o 


J 


!  I! 


Lobo 


19 


been  pursuing  his  career  of  rapine  to-day,  but 
for  an  unfortunate  alliance  that  proved  his 
ruin  and  added  his  name  to  the  long  list  of  he- 
roes  who,  unassailable  when  alone,  have  fallen 
through  the  indiscretion  of  a  trusted  ally. 


Ill 

Once  or  twice,  I  had  found  indications  that 
everything  was  not  quite  right  in  the  Currum- 
paw  pack.  There  were  signs  of  irregularity  I 
thought ;  for  instance  there  was  clearly  the  triil 
of  a  smaller  wolf  running  ahead  of  the  leader 
at  times,  and  this  I  could  not  understand  until 
a  cowboy  made  a  remark  which  explained  the 
matter. 

"  I  saw  them  to-day,"  he  said,  "and  the  wild 
one  that  breaks  away  is  Blanca."  Then  the 
truth  dawned  upon  me,  and  1  added,  -Now  I 
know  that  Blanca  is  a  she-wolf,  because  were 
a  he-wolf  to  act  thus,  Lobo  would  kill  him  at 
once." 

This  suggested  a  new  plan.  I  killed  a  heifer 
and  set  one  or  two  rather  obvious  traps  about 
the  carcass.  Then  cutting  off  the  head,  which 
IS  considered  useless  offal,  and  quite  beneath 
the  notice  of  a  wolf,  I  set  it  a  little  apart  and 
around  It  placed  six  powerful  steel  traps  prop. 


■  >■ 


20 


Lobo 


!!l 


erly  deodorized  and  concealed  with  the  utmost 
care.     During  my  operations  I  kept  my  hands, 
boots,    and    implements    smeared    with    fresh 
blood,  and  afterward  sprinkled  the  ground  with 
the  same,  as  though   it   had   flowed  from  the 
head ;  and  when  the  traps  were  buried  in  the 
dust  I  brushed  the  place  over  with  the  skin  of 
a  coyote,  and   with  a  foot  of  the  same  animal 
made  a  number  of  tracks  over  the  trap?.     The 
head  was  so  placed  that  there  was  a  narrow 
passage  between  it  and  some  tussocks,  and  in 
this  passage  I  buried  two  of  my  best  traps,  fas- 
tening them  to  the  head  itself. 

Wolves  have  the  habit  of  approaching  every 
carcass  they  get  the  wind  of,  in  order  to  exam- 
ine it,  even  when  they  have  no  intention  of 
eating  it,  and  I  hoped  that  this  habit  would 
bring  the  Currumpaw  pack  within  reach  of  my 
latest  stratagem.  I  did  not  doubt  that  Lobo 
would  detect  my  handiwork  about  the  meat, 
and  prevent  the  pack  approaching  it,  but  I  did 
build  some  hopes  on  the  head,  for  it  looked  as 
though  it  had  been  thrown  aside  as  useless. 

Next  morning,  I  sallied  forth  to  inspect  the 
traps,  and  there,  oh,  joy!  were  the  tracks  of 
the  pack,  and  the  place  where  the  beef-head 
and  its  traps  had  been  was  empty.  A  hasty 
study  of  the  trail  showed  that  Lobo  had  kept 


Lobo 


21 


the  pack  from  approaching  the  meat,  but  one 
a  small  wolf,  had  evidently  gone  on  to  examine 
the  head  as  it  lay  apart  and  had  walked  right 
into  one  of  the  traps. 

We  set  out  on  the  trail,  and  within  a  mile 
discovered  that  the  hapless  wolf  was  Blanca 
Away  she  went,  however,  at  a  gallop,  and  al- 
though encumbered  by   the  beef-head,  which 
weighed  over  fifty   pounds,  she   speedily  dis- 
tanced  my  companion  who  was  on  foot.     But 
we  overtook  her  when  she  reached  the  rocks 
for  the  horns  of  the  cow's  head  became  caught 
and  held  her  fast.     She   was  the  handsomest 
wolf  I  had  ever  seen.     Her  coat  was  in  perfect 
condition  and  nearly  white. 

She  turned  to  fight,  and  raising  her  voice  in 
the  rallying  cry  of  her  race,  sent  a  long  howl 
rolling  over  the  caflon.  From  far  away  upon 
the  mesa  came  a  deep  response,  the  cry  of  Old 
Lobo.  That  was  her  last  call,  for  now  we  had 
closed  in  on  her,  and  all  her  energy  and  breath 
were  devoted  to  combat. 

Then  followed  the  inevitable  tragedy  the 
Idea  of  which  I  shrank  from  afterward  more 
than  at  the  time.  We  each  threw  a  lasso  over 
the  neck  of  tl  e  doomed  wolf,  and  strained  our 
horses  in  opposite  directions  until  the  blood 
burst  from  her  mouth,   her  eyes   glazed,  her 


22 


Lobo 


\      w 


lif 


.mbs  stiffened  and  then  fell  limp.  Homeward 
then  we  rode,  carrying  the  dead  wolf,  and  ex- 
ultmg  over  this,  the  first  death-blow  we  had 
been  able  to  inflict  on  the  Currumpaw  pack. 

At  intervals  during  the  tragedy,  and  after- 
ward  as  we  rode  homeward,  we  heard  the  roar 
of  Lobo  as  he  wandered  about  on  the  distant 
mesas,  where  he  seemed  to  be  searching  for 
iJlanca.      He  had  never   really  deserted   her 
but  knowing  that  he  could  not  save  her,  his' 
deep-rooted  dread  of  firearms    had   been   too 
much  for  him  when  he  saw   us  approaching. 
All   that   day   we    heard    him    wailing  as   he 
roamed  in  his  quest,  and  I  remarked  at  length 
o  one  of  the  boys,  "Now, indeed,  I  truly  know 
that  Blanca  was  his  mate." 

As  evening  fell  he    seemed   to   be   coming 
toward  the  home  caflon,  for  his  voice  sounded 
continually  nearer.      There  was  an  unmistaka- 
ble note  of  sorrow  in  it  now.     It  was  no  longer 
the  loud    defiant  howl,  but  a  long,   plaintive 
wall :      Blanca !  Blanca  ! "   he  seemed  to  call. 
And  as  night  came  down,  I  noticed  that  he 
was  not  far  from  the  place  where  we  had  over- 
taken her.    At  length  he  seemed  to  find  the 
trail,  and  when  he  came  to  the  spot  where  we 
had  killed  her,  his  heart-broken  wailing   was 
piteous  to  hear.    It  was  sadder  than  I  could 


Lobo 


23 


possibly  have  believed.     Even  the  stolid  cow- 
boys noticed   it,  and    said    they    had  "  never 
heard  a  wolf  carry  on  like  that  before."     He 
seemed  to  know  exactly  what  had  taken  place 
for  her  blood  had  stained  the  place  of  her  death.' 
Then  he  took  up  the  trail  of  the  horses  and 
followed  It  to  the  ranch-house.      Whether  in 
hopes  of  finding  her  there,  or  in  quest  of  re- 
venge, I  know  not,   but  the  latter  was  what 
he     ound,  for   he   surprised   our  unfortunate 
watchdog  outside  and  tore  him  to  little  bits 
withm  fifty  yards  of  the  door.     He  evidently 
came  alone  this  time,  for  I  found  but  one  trail 
next  morning,  and   he  had  galloped  about  in 
a  reck  ess  manner  that  was  very  unusual  with 
h.m.     I  had  half  expected  this,  and   had  set  a 
number  of  additional  traps  about  the  pasture. 
Afterward  I  found  that  he  had  indeed  fallen 
mto  one  of  these,  but  such  was  his  strength 
he  had  torn  himself  loose  and  cast  it  aside        ' 
I  beheved  that  he    would    continue   in  the 
neighborhood  until  he  found  her  body  at  least 
so  I  concentrated  all  my  energies  on  this  one 
enterprise  of  catching  him  before  he  left  the 
region    and  while  yet  in  this  reckless  mood. 
1  hen  I  realized  what  a  mistake  I  had  made  in 
kilhng  Blanca,  for  by  using  her  as  a  decoy  I 
might  have  secured  him  the  next  night 


24 


Lobo 


I  gathered  m  all  the  traps  I  could  command, 
one  hundred  and  thirty  strong  steel  wolf-traps 
and  set  them  in  (ours  in  every  trail  that  led 
nto  the  canon ;  each  trap  was  separately  fas- 
tened to  a  loff,  and  each  log  was  separately 
buned      In  burying  them,  I  carefully  removed 
the  sod  and  every  particle  of  earth  that  was 
lifted  we  put  u,  blankets,  so  that  after  the  sod 
was  replaced  and  all  was  finished  the  eye  could 
detect  no  trace  of  human  handiwork.     When 
the  traps  were  concealed  I  trailed  the  body  of 
poor   Blanca  over  each  place,  and  made  of  it 
a  drag  that  circled  all  about  the  ranch,  and 
finally  I   took  off  one  of  her  paws  and  made 
with  It  a  line  of  tracks  over  each  trap.     Every 
precaution  and  device   known  to  me   I  used 
and  retired  at  a  late  hour  to  await  the  result     ' 
Once  during  the  night  I  thought  I  heard  Old 
l^obo,  but  was  not  sure  of  it.     Next  day  I  rode 
around,  but  darkness  came  on   before  I   com' 
pleted  the  circuit  of  the  north  cafion,  and  I  had 
nothmg  to  report.    At  supper  one  of  the  cow- 
boys sa.d   "There  was  a  great  row  among  the 
cattle  m  the  north  cafion  this  morning,  maybe 
there  is  something  in  the  traps  there."     It  was 
a  ternoon  of  the  ne.xt  day  before  I  got  to  the 
place  referred  to,  and  as  I  drew  near  a  great 
grizzly  form  arose  from  the  ground,  vainly  en. 


Lobo 


25 


deavoring  to  escape,  and  there  revealed  before 
me  stood  Lobo,  King  of  the  Currumpaw,  firmly 
held  in  the  traps.     Poor  old  hero,  he  had  never 
ceased  to  search  for  his  darling,  and  when  he 
found  the  trail  her  body  had  made  he  followed 
It  recklessly,  and  so  fell  into  the  snare  prepared 
for  him.     There  he  lay  in  the  iron  grasp  of  all 
four  traps,  perfectly  helpless,  and  all  around  him 
were  numerous  tracks  showing  how  the  cattle 
had  gathered  about  him  to  insult  the  fallen  des- 
pot,  without   daring    to  approach   within    his 
reach.     For  two  days  and  two  nights  he  had 
lain  there,  and  now  was  worn  out  with  strug- 
gling.     Yet,  when  I  went  near  him,  he  rose  up 
with  bristling  mane  and  raised  his  voice,  and 
for  the  last  time  made  the  canon   reverberate 
with  his  deep  bass  roar,  a  call  for  help    the 
muster  call  of  his  band.     But  there  was  none 
to  answer  him,  and,  left  alone  in  his  extremity 
he  whirled  about  with  all  his  strength  and  made 
a  desperate  effort  to  get  at  me.     All  in  vain 
each  trap  was  a  dead  drag  of  over  three  hun- 
dred pounds,  and   in   their  relentless  fourfold 
grasp,  with  great  steel  jaws  on  every  foot,  and 
the  heavy  logs  and  chains  all  entangled  together 
he  was  absolutely  powerless.     How  his  huge 
ivory  tusks  did  grind  on  those  cruel  chains,  and 
when  I  ven.  red  to  touch  him  with  my  rifle- 


36 


Lobo 


to 


^ 


barrel  he  left  grooves  on  it  which  are  there  lo 
this  day.  His  eyes  glared  green  with  hate  and 
lury,  and  hisjawssnapped  with  a  hollow '  chop  ' 
as  he  vainly  endeavored  to  reach  me  and  L 
trembhng  horse.  But  he  was  worn  out  with 
hunger  and  struggling  and  loss  of  blood,  and  he 
soon  sank  exhausted  to  the  ground. 

Something  like  compunction  came  over  me 
as  I  prepared  to  deal  out  to  him  that  which  so 
many  had  suffered  at  his  hands. 

"  Grand  old  outlaw,  hero  of  a  thousand  law- 

less  raids  m  a  few  minutes  you  will  be  but  a 

great  load  of  carrion.     It  cannot  be  otherwise." 

ihen  I  swung  my  lasso  and  sent  it  whistling 

over  h,s  head.     But  not  so  fast ;  he  was  yet  far 

from   being  subdued,   and,  before   the   supple 

co.ls  had  fallen  on  his  neck  he  seized  the  noose 

and,  with  one  fierce  chop,  cut  through  its  hard 

iistet  '''  ''"''  ^'°'^^^'^  "  '"  '''°  P'^"^"  ^' 
Of  course  I  had  my  rifle  as  a  last  resource, 
but  I  d.d  not  wish  to  spoil  his  royal  hide,  so  I 
galloped  back  to  the  camp  and  returned  with  a 
cowboy  and  a  fresh  lasso.  We  threw  to  our 
victim  a  stick  of  wood  which  he  seized  in  his 
teeth,  and  before  he  could  relinquish  it  our 
lassoes  whistled  through  the  air  and  tightened 
on  his  neck. 


Lobo 


27 


Yet  before  the  light  had  died  from  his  fierce 
eyes,  1  cried,  "  Stay,  we  will  not  kill  hin.  •  let 
us  take  him  alive  to  the  camp."     He  was  so 
completely  powerless  now  that  it  was  easy  to 
put  a  stout  stick  through  his  mouth,  behind  his 
tusks  and  then  lash  his  jaws  with  a  heavy  cord 
which  was  also  fastened  to  the  stick.     The  stick 
kept  the  cord  in,  and  the  cord  kept  the  stick 
in,  so  he  was  harmless.     As  soon  as  he  felt  his 
jaws  were  tied  he  made  no  further  resistance 
and  uttered  no  sound,  but  looked  calmly  at  us 
and  seemed  to  say,  "  Well,  you  have  got  me  at 
last,  do  as  you  please  with  me."     And  from  that 
tmie  he  took  no  more  notice  of  us. 

We   tied   his   feet    securely,    but    he   never 
groaned,   nor  growled,  nor   turned    his  head 
Then  with  our  united  strength  we  were  just 
able  to  put  him  on  my  horse.    His  breath  came 
evenly  as  though  sleeping,  and  his  eyes  were 
bright  and  clear  again,  but  did  not  rest  on  us 
Afar  on  the  great  rolling  mesas  they  were  fixed 
Ins  passing  kingdom,  where  his  lamous    band 
was   now   scattered.      And   he  gazed   till   the 
pony   descended  the  pathway  into  the  cafton 
and  the  rocks  cut  off  the  view. 

By  travelling  slowly  we  reached  the  ranch  in 
safety,  and  after  securing  him  with  a  collar  and 
a  strong  chain,  we  staked  him  out  in  the  past- 


'•t 


28 


Lobo 


A 


,•1 ; 


ure  and  removed  the  cords.  Then  for  the  first 
time  I  could  examine  him  closely,  and  proved 
how  unreliable  is  vulgar  report  where  a  living 
hero  or  tyrant  is  concerned.  He  had  not  ?i 
collar  of  gold  about  his  neck,  nor  was  there  on 
his  shoulders  an  inverted  cross  to  denote  that 
he  had  leagued  himself  with  Satan.  But  I  did 
find  on  one  haunch  a  great  broad  scar,  that 
tradition  says  was  the  fang-mark  of  Juno,  the 
leader  of  Tannerey's  wolf-hounds  —  a  mark 
which  she  gave  him  the  moment  before  he 
stretched  her  lifeless  on  the  sand  of  the  cafion. 

I  set  meat  and  water  beside  him,  but  he  paid 
no  heed.  He  lay  calmly  on  his  breast,  and 
gazed  with  those  steadfast  yellow  eyes  away 
past  me  down  through  the  gateway  of  the 
cafion,  over  the  open  plains— his  plains— nor 
moved  a  muscle  when  I  touched  him.  When 
the  sun  went  down  he  was  still  gazing  fixedly 
across  the  prairie.  I  expected  he  would  call  up 
his  band  when  night  came,  and  prepared  for 
them,  but  he  had  called  once  in  his  extremity, 
and  none  had  come ;  he  would  never  call  again. 

A  lion  shorn  of  his  strength,  an  eagle  robbed 
of  his  freedom,  or  a  dove  bereft  of  his  mate,  all 
die,  it  is  said,  of  a  broken  heart;  and  who  will 


Lobo 


29 


aver  that  this  grim  bandit  could  bear  the  three- 
fold  brunt,  heart-whole?  This  only  I  know, 
that  when  the  morning  dawned,  he  was  lying 
there  still  in  his  position  of  calm  repose,  but  his 
spirit  was  gone— the  old  king-wolf  was  dead. 

I  took  the  chain  from  his  neck,  a  cowboy 
helped  me  to  carry  him  to  the  shed  where  lay 
the  remains  of  Blanca,  and  as  we  laid  him  be- 
side her,  the  cattle-man  exclaimed  :  "  There, 
you  would  come  to  her,  now  you  are  together 
again." 


m 


i(      ■  i 


REDRUFF 

THE  STORY   OF  THE  DON   VALLEY 
PARTRIDGE 


if 


I 


m, 


'C&, 


if 


REDRUFF 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  DON  VALLEY 

PARTRIDGE 


DOWN  the  wooded  slope  of  Taylor's  Hill 
the  Mother  Partridge  led  her  brood  • 
down  toward  the  crystal  brook  that  by 
some  strange  whim  was  called  Mud  Creek 
Her  httle  ones  were  one  day  old  but  already 
quick  on  foot,  and  she  was  taking  them  for  the 
first  tmie  to  drink. 

She   walked   slowly,  crouching  low  as  she 
went,  for  the  woods  were  full  of  enemies.     She 
was  uttering  a  soft  little  cluck  in  her  throat,  a 
call  to  the  httle  balls  of  mottled  down  that  on 
their  tmy  pink  legs  came  toddling  after,  and 
peeping  softly  and  plaintively  if  left  even  a  few 
inches  behind,  and  seeming  so  fragile  they  made 
the  very  chicadees  look  big  and  coarse.     There 
were    twelve    of    them,   but    Mother  Grouse 
watched  them  all,  and  she  watched  every  bush 
and  tree  and  thicket,  and  the  whole  woods  and 

33 


I 


34 


Rcdrtiff 


the  sky  itself.  Always  for  enemies  she  seemed 
seeking — Iricnds  were  too  scarce  to  be  looked 
for — and  an  enemy  she  found.  Away  across 
the  level  beaver  meadow  was  a  great  brute  of  a 
fox.  He  was  coming  their  way,  and  in  a  few 
moments  would  surely  wind  them  or  strike 
their  trail.     There  was  no  time  to  lose. 

'  Krrr !  Krr!'  (Hide!  Hide!)  cried  the 
mother  in  u  '  jw,  firm  voice,  and  the  little  bits 
of  things,  scarcely  bigger  than  acorns  and  but 
a  day  old,  scattered  far  (a  few  inches)  apart  to 
hide.  One  dived  under  a  leaf,  another  between 
two  roots,  a  third  crawled  into  a  curl  of  birch- 
bark,  a  fourth  into  a  hole,  and  so  on,  till  all 
were  hidden  but  one  who  could  find  no  cover, 
so  squatted  on  a  broad  yellow  chip  and  lay 
very  flat,  and  closed  his  eyes  very  tight,  sure 
that  now  he  was  safe  from  being  seen.  They 
ceased  their  frightened  peeping  and  all  was 
still. 

Mother  Partridge  flew  straight  toward  the 
dreaded  beast,  alighted  fearlessly  a  few  yards 
to  one  side  of  him,  and  then  flung  herself  on 
the  ground,  flopping  as  though  winged  and 
lame — oh,  so  dreadfully  lame — and  whining  like 
a  distressed  puppy.  Was  she  begging  for 
mercy — mercy  from  a  bloodthirsty,  cruel  fox .? 
Oh,  dear ,  no  !     She  was  no   fool.     One  often 


Redriiff 


35 


hears  of  the  cunning  of  the  fox.     Wait  and  see 
what  a  fool  he  is  compared  with  a  mother-par- 
tridge.    Elated  at  the  prize  so  suddenly  within 
his  reach,  the  fox  turned  with  a  dash  and  caught 
—at  least,  no,  he  didn't  quite  catch  the  bird  ; 
she  Hopped  by  chance  just  a  foot  out  of  reach. 
He   followed   with   another   jump    and   would 
have  seized  her  this  time  surely,  but  somehow 
a  sapling  came  just  between,  and  the  partridge 
dragged  herself  awkwardly  away  and  under  a 
log,  but  the  great  brute  snapped  his  jaws  and 
bounded   over  the  log,  while   she,  seeming   a 
trifle  less  lame,  made  another  clumsy  forward 
spring  and  tumbled  down  a  bank,  and  Reynard, 
keenly  following,  almost  caught   her  tail,  but, 
oddly  enough,  fast  as  he  went  and  leaped,  she 
still  seemed  just  a  trifle  faster.     It  was  most  ex- 
traordinary.    A  winged  partridge  and  he,  Ray- 
nard,  the  Swift-foot,  had  not  caught  her  in  five 
minutes'  racing.     It  was  really  shameful.     But 
the  partridge  seemed  to  gain  strength  as  the  fox 
put  forth  his,  and  after  a  quarter  of  a  mile  race, 
racing  that  was  somehow  all  away  from   Tay- 
lor's   Hill,  the   bird   got   unaccountably  quite 
well,  and,  rising  with  a  decisive  whirr,  flew  off 
through  the  woods,  leaving  the  fox  utterly  dum- 
founded  to  realize  that  he  had  been  made  a  fool 
of,  and,  worst  of  all,  he  now  remembered  that 


sti 


■i:  II 


Im 


36 


Redruff 


this  was  not  the  first  time  he  had  been  served 
this  s^vy  trick,  though  he  never  knew  the  rca- 
son  for  it. 

Meanwhile  Mother  Partridge  skimmed  in  a 
great  circle  and  came  by  a  roundabout  way 
back  to  the  little  fuzz-balls  she  had  left  hidden 
in  the  woods. 

With  a  wild  bird's  keen  memory  for  places, 
she  went  to  the  very  grass-blade  she  last  trod 
on,  and  stood  for  a  moment  fondly  to  admire 
the  perfect  stillness  of  her  children.  Even  at 
her  step  not  one  had  stirred,  and  the  little  fel- 
low on  the  chip,  not  so  very  badly  concealed 
after  all,  had  not  budged,  nor  did  he  now  ;  he 
only  closed  his  eyes  a  tiny  little  bit  harder,'  till 
the  mother  said  : 

'K-reet!  '  (Come,  children)  and  instantly,  like 
a  fairy  story,  every  hole  gave  up  its  little  baby, 
partridge,  and  the  wee  fellow  on  the  chip,  the 
biggest  of  them  all  really,  opened  his  big-little 
eyes  and  ran  to  the  shelter  of  her  broad  tail, 
with  a  sweet  little  '  peep  peep'  which  an  enemy 
could    not   have   heard   three   feet   away,    but 
which  his  mother  could  not  have  missed  thrice 
as  far,  and  all  the  other  thimblefuls  of  down 
joined  in,  and   no   doubt   thought   themselves 
dreadfully    noisy,   and    were    proportionately 
happy. 


Redruff  '  37 

The  sun  was  hot  now.  There  was  an  open 
space  to  cross  on  tlic  road  to  the  water,  and, 
after  a  careful  lookout  for  enemies,  the  mother 
gathered  the  little  thin-s  under  the  shadow  of 
her  spread  fantail  and  kept  off  all  danger  of 
sunstroke  until  they  reached  the  brier  thicket 
by  the  stream. 

Here  a  cottontail  rabbit  leaped  out  and  gave 
them  a  great  scare.  But  the  flag  of  truce  he 
carried  behind  was  enough.  He  was  an  old 
friend  ;  and  among  other  things  the  little  ones 
learned  that  day  that  Bunny  always  sails  under 
a  flag  of  truce,  and  lives  up  to  it  too. 

And  then  came  the  drink,  the  purest  of  liv- 
ing water,  though  silly  men  had  called  it  Mud 
Creek. 

At  first  the  little  fellows  didn't  know  how  to 
drink,  but  they  copied  their  mother,  and  soon 
learned  to  drink  like  her  and  give  thanks  after 
every  sip.  There  they  stood  in  a  row  along  the 
edge,  twelve  little  brown  and  golden  Iballs 
on  twenty-four  little  pink-toed,  in-turned  feet, 
with  twelve  sweet  little  golden  heads  gravely 
bowing,  drinking,  and  giving  thanks  like  their 
mother. 

Then  she  led  them  by  short  stages,  keeping 
the  cover,  to  the  far  side  of  the  beaver-meadow, 
where  was  a  great,  grassy  dome.     The  mother 


|« 


38 


Rcdruff 


1   ft 


had  made  a  note  of  tliis  dome  some  time  be- 
fore,    k  takes  a  number  of  such  domes  to  raise 
a  brood  of  partridges.     For  tliis  was  an  ant's 
nest.     The    old   one   stepped   on   top,   looked 
about  a  moment,  then  gave  half  a  dozen  vigor- 
ous  rakes  with  her  claws.     The  friable  ant-hill 
was    broken   open,    and    the   earthen   galleries 
scattered    in  ruins  down  the  slope.     The  ants 
swarmed  out  and  quarrelled   with  each  other 
for  lack  of  a  better  plan.     Some  ran  around  the 
hill  with  vast  energy  and  little  purpose,  while  a 
few  of  the  more  sensible  began  to  carry  away 
fat  white  eggs.     But  the  old  partridge,  coming 
to  the  little  ones,  picked  up  one  of  these  juicy- 
looking  bags  and  clucked  and  dropped  it,  and 
picked  it  up  again  and  again  and  clucked,  then 
swallowed  it.     The  young  ones  stood  around, 
then  one  little  yellow  fellow,  the  one  that  sat  on 
the  chip,  picked   up  an  ant-egg,  dropped  it  a 
few  times,  then  yielding  to  a  sudden  impulse, 
swallowed  it,  and  so  had  learned  to  eat.    With- 
in  twenty  minutes  even  the  runt  had  learned, 
and  a  merry  time  they  had  scrambling  after  the 
delicious  eggs  as  their  mother  broke  open  more 
ant-galleries,  and  sent  them  and  their  contents 
rolling  down  the  bank,  till  every  little  partridge 
had  so  crammed  his  little  crop  that  he  was  pos- 
itively misshapen  and  could  eat  no  more. 


Recirtiff  3^ 

Then  all  went  cautiously  up  the  stream,  and 
on  a  sandy  bank,  well  screened  by  brambles 
they  lay  for  all  that  afternoon,  and  learned  how 
pleasant  it  was  to  feel  the  cool,  powdery  dust 
running  between  their  hot  little  toes.      With 
their  strong  bent  for  copying,  they  lay  on  their 
sides  like  their  mother  and  scratched  with  their 
tiny  feet  and  flopped  with  their  wings,  though 
they  had  no  wings  to  flop  with,  only  a  little  tag 
among  the  down  on  each  side,  to  show  where 
the  wings  would  come.     That  night  she  took 
them  to  a  dry  thicket  near  by,  and  there  among 
the  crisp,  dead  leaves  that  would  prevent  an 
enemy's  silent  approach  on  foot,  and  under  the 
interlacing  briers  that  kept  off  all  foes  of  the 
air,  she  cradled  them  in  their  feather-shingled 
nursery  and  rejoiced  in  the  fulness  of  a  mother's 
joy  over  the  wee  cuddling  things  that  peeped 
in  their  sleep  and  snuggled  so  trustfully  against 
her  warm  body. 

II 

The  third  day  the  chicks  were  much  stronger 
on  their  feet.  They  no  longer  had  to  go  around 
an  acorn  ;  they  could  even  scramble  over  pine 
cones,  and  on  the  little  tags  that  marked  the 
places  for  their  wings,  were  now  to  be  seen 
blue  rows  of  fat  blood-quills. 


40 


Redruff 


n  i 


Their  start  in  life  was  a  good  mother,  jroocl 
legs,  a  few  reh'able  instincts,  and  a  germ  of  rea- 
son.  It  was  instinct,  that  is.  inherited  habit, 
which  taught  them  to  hide  at  the  word  from' 
their  mother;  it  was  instinct  that  taught  them 
to  follow  her,  but  it  was  reason  which  made 
them  keep  under  the  shadow  of  her  tail  when 
the  sun  was  smiting  down,  and  from  that  day 
reason  entered  more  and  more  into  their  ex- 
pan  ding  lives. 

Next  day  the  blood-quills  had  sprouted  the 
tips  of  feathers.  On  the  next,  the  feathers 
were  well  out,  and  a  week  later  the  whole  fam- 
ily  of  down-clad  babies  were  strong  on  the 
wing. 

And  yet  not  all-poor  little  Runtie  had  been 
sickly  from  the  first.  He  bore  his  half-shell 
on  his  back  for  hours  after  he  came  out;  he 
ran  less  and  cheeped  more  than  his  brothers, 
and  when  one  evening  at  the  onset  of  a  skunk 
the  mother  gave  the  word  '  Kivit,  kwit '  (Fly 
ny),  Runtie  was  left  behind,  and  when  she 
gathered  her  brood  on  the  piney  hill  he  was 
missing,  and  they  saw  him  no  more. 

Meanwhile,  their  training  had  gone  on.  They 
knew  that  the  finest  grasshoppers  abounded 
in  the  long  grass  by  the  brook  ;  they  knew 
that  the  currant-bushes  dropped  fatness  in  the 


Red  ruff  ^j 

form  of  smooth,  green  worms;  they  know  that 
the  dome  of  an  ant-hill  rising  against  the  dis- 
tant woods  stood  for  a  garner  of  plenty  ;  they 
knew  that  strawberries,  though  not  really  in. 
sects,  were  almost  as    delicious;    they   knew 
that  the  huge  danaid    butterflies  were  good 
safe  game,  if  they  could  only  catch  them,  and 
that  a  slab  of  bark  dropping  from  the  side  of 
a  rotten  log  was  sure  to  abound  in  good  things 
of  many  different  kinds ;  and  they  had  learned, 
also,   the  yellow. jackets,  mud. wasps,   woolly 

worms,  and  hundred -leggers  were  better  let 
alone. 

It  was  now  July,  the  Moon  of  Berries.  The 
chicks  had  grown  and  flourished  amazingly 
during  th's  last  month,  and  were  now  so  large 
that  in  her  efforts  to  cover  them  the  mother 
was  kept  standing  all  night. 

They  took  their  daily  dust-bath,  but  of  late 
had  changed  to  another  higher  on  the  hill.  It 
was  one  in  use  by  many  different  birds,  and  at 
first  the  mother  disliked  the  idea  of  such  a 
second-hand  bath.  But  the  dust  was  of  such 
a  fine,  agreeable  quality,  and  the  children  led 
the  way  with  such  enthusiasm,  that  she  forr  it 
her  mistrust. 

After  a   fortnight  the  little   ones   began  to 
droop  and  she  herself  did  not  feel  very  well. 


3' 


I  i' 


42 


Re  dr  tiff 


They  were  always  hungry,  and  though  they 
ate  enormously,  they  one  and  all  grew  thinner 
and  thinner.  The  mother  was  the  last  to  be 
affected.  But  when  it  came,  it  came  as  hard 
on  her-a  ravenous  hunger,  a  feverish  head- 
ache, and  a  wasting  weakness.  She  never 
knew  the  cause.  She  could  not  know  that  the 
dust  of  the  much-used  dust-bath,  that  her  true 
instinct  taught  her  to  mistrust  at  first,  and  now 
again  to  shun,  was  sown  with  parasitic  worms, 
and  that  all  of  the  family  were  infested. 

No  natural   impulse    is  without  a   purpose. 
The  mother-bird's  knowledge  of  healing  was 
only   to   follow  natural   impulse.     The  eager, 
feverish   craving  for  something,  she  knew  not 
what,  led  her  to  eat,  or  try,  everything  that 
looked  eatable  and  to  seek  the  coolest  woods 
And  there  she  found  a  deadly  sumach  laden 
with  Its  poison  fruit.     A  month  ago  she  would 
have  passed  it  by,  but  now  she  tried  the  un- 
attractive  berries.      The  acrid    burning  juice 
seemed  to  answer  some  strange  demand  of  her 
body;    she   ate   and    aie,   and    all   her  family 
joined  in  the  strange  feast  of  physic.     No  hu- 
man  doctor  could  have  hit  it  better;  it  proved 
a  biting,  drastic  purge,  the  dreadful  secret  foe 
was  downed,  the  danger  passed.     But  not  for 
alI--Nature,  the  old  nurse,  had  come  too  late 


Redruff  4. 

for  two  of  them.  The  weakest,  by  inexorable 
law,  dropped  out.  Enfeebled  by  the  disease, 
the  remedy  was  too  severe  for  them.  They 
drank  and  drank  by  the  stream,  and  next 
mornmg  did  not  move  when  the  others  fol- 
lowed the  mother.  Strange  vengeance  was 
theirs  now,  for  a  skunk,  the  same  that  could 
have  told  where  Runtie  went,  found  and  de- 
voured  their  bodies  and  died  of  the  poison 
they  had  eaten. 

Seven    little    partridges   now    obeyed    the 
mother's   call.      Their    individual    characters 
were   early   shown  and   now  developed    fast. 
The  weaklings  were  gone,  but  there  was  still 
a  fool  and  a  lazy  one.     The  mother  could  not 
help  caring  for  some  more  than  for  others,  and 
her  favorite  was  the  biggest,  he  who  once  sat 
on  the  yellow  chip  for  concealment.     He  was 
not   only   the    biggest,    strongest,    and    hand- 
somest of  the  brood,  the  best  of  all,  the  most 
obedient.     His  mother's  warning  '  rrrrr'  (dan- 
ger) did  not  always  keep  the   others  from  a 
risky  path  or  a  doubtful  food,  but  obedience 
seemed  natural  to  him,  and  he  never  failed  to 
respond   to   her  soft  '  K-rcct '   (Come),  and  of 
this  obedience  he  reaped  the  reward,  for  his 
days  were  longest  in  the  land. 
August,  the   Molting   Moon,  went   by;   the 


i 


i:fl 

llf 


fi 

m 


44 


Redruff 


youn^-  ones  were  now  three  parts  grown.    They 
knew  just  enough  to  think  themselves  wonder- 
fully wise.     When  they  were  small  it  was  nec- 
essary to  sleep  on  the  ground  so  their  mother 
could  shelter  them,  but  now  they  were  too  big 
to  need  that,  and  the  mother  began  to  introduce 
grown-up  ways  of  life.     It  was  time  to  roost  in 
the  trees.     The  young  weasels,  foxes,  skunks, 
and  minks  were  beginning  to  run.    The  ground 
grew  more  dangerous  each  night,  so  at  sundown 
Mother  Partridge  called  '  K-reet;  and  flew  into 
a  thick,  low  tree. 

The  little  ones  followed,  except  one,  an  obsti- 
nate little  fool  who  persisted  in  sleeping  on  the 
ground  as  heretofore.  It  was  all  right  that 
time,  but  the  next  night  his  brothers  were 
awakened  by  his  cries.  There  was  a  slight 
scuffle,  then  stillness,  broken  only  by  a  horrid 
sound  of  crunching  bones  and  a  smacking  of 
lips.  They  peered  down  into  the  terrible  dark- 
ness below,  where  the  glint  of  two  close-set  eyes 
and  a  peculiar  musty  smell  told  them  that  a 
mink  was  the  killer  of  their  fool  brother. 

Six  little  partridges  now  sat  in  a  row  at  night, 
with  their  mother  in  the  middle,  though  it  was 
not  unusual  for  some  little  one  with  cold  feet  to 
perch  on  her  back. 

Their  education  went  on,  and  about  this  time 


Redruff  AC 

^hey  were  taught  '  whirring.'  A  partridge  can 
rise  on  the  wing  silently  if  it  wishes,  but  whir- 
ring  is  so  important  at  times  that  all  are  taught 
how  and  when  to  rise  on  thundering  wings. 
Many  ends  are  gained  by  the  whirr.  It  warns 
all  other  partridges  near  that  danger  is  at  hand, 
it  unnerves  the  gunner,  or  it  fixes  the  foe's  at' 
tention  on  the  whirrer,  while  the  others  sneak 
off  in  silence,  or  by  squatting,  escape  notice. 

A  partridge  adage  might  well  be  '  foes  and 
food  for  every  moon.'  September  came,  with 
seeds  and  grain  in  place  of  berries  and  ant-eggs, 
and  gunners  in  place  of  skunks  and  minks. 

The  partridges  knew  well  what  a  fox  was, 

but  had  scarcely  seen  a  dog.    A  fox  they  knew 

they  could  easily  baffle  by  taking  to  a  tree,  but 

when  in  the  Gunner  Moon  old  Cuddy  came 

prowling  through  the  ravine  with  his  bob-tailed 

yellow  cur,  the  mother  spied  the  dog  and  cried 

out   ♦  Kzvit  f    Kivit  / '   (Fly,  fly).     Two   of  the 

brood  thought  it  a  pity  their  mother  should 

lose  her  wits  so  easily  over  a  fox,  and   were 

pleased  to  show  their  superior  nerve  by  spring. 

ing  into  a  tree  in  spite  of  her  earnestly  repeated 

'Kwit/  Kivit!'  and  her  example  of  speeding 

away  on  silent  wings. 

Meanwhile,  the  strange  bob-tailed  fox  came 
under  the  tree  and  yapped  and  yapped  at  them. 


■p. 


46 


Redrtiff 


They  were  much  amused  at  him  and  at  their 
mother  and  brothers,  so  much  so  that  they 
never  noticed  a  rustling  in  the  bushes  till  there 
was  a  loud  Bang!  bang!  and  down  fell  two 
bloody,  flopping  partridges,  to  be  seized  and 
mangled  by  the  yellow  cur  until  the  gunner  ran 
from  the  bushes  and  rescued  the  remains. 


I'll: 

i 


III 

Cuddy  lived  in  a  wretched  shanty  near  the 
Don,  north  of  Toronto.     His  was  what  Greek 
philosophy  would  have  demonstrated  to  be  an 
ideal  existence.     He  had  no  wealth,  no  taxes, 
no  social  pretensions,  and  no  pro])erty  to  speak 
of.     His  life  was  made  up  of  a  very  little  work 
and  a  great  deal  of  play,  with  as  much  out-door 
life  as  he  chose.     He  considered  himself  a  true 
sportsman  because  he  was  *  fond  o'  huntin','and 
'  took  a  sight  o'  comfort  out  of  seein'  the  critters 
hit  the  mud'  when  his  gun  was  fired.     The 
neighbors  called  him  a  squatter,  and  looked  on 
him  merely  as  an  anchored  tramp.     He  shot 
and  trapped  the  year  round,  and  varied    his 
game  somewhat  with  the  season  perforce,  but 
had  been  heard  to  remark  he  could  tell'  the 
month   by  the   'taste  o'  the   patridges,'  if  he 
didn't  happen  to  know  by  the  almanac.     This, 


Redruff  47 

no  doubt,  showed  keen  observation,  but  was 
also  unfortunate  proof  of  something  not  so 
creditable.  The  lawful  season  for  murdering 
partridges  began  September  15th,  but  there  was 
nothing  surprising  in  Cuddy's  being  out  a  fort- 
night ahead  of  time.  Yet  he  managed  to  es- 
cape punishment  year  after  year,  and  even  con- 
trived to  pose  in  a  newspaper  interview  as  an 
interesting  character. 

He  rarely  shot  on  the  wing,  preferring  to  pot 
his  birds,  which  was  not  easy  to  do  when  the 
leaves  were  on,  and  accounted  for  the  brood  in 
the  third  ravine  going  so  long  unharmed  ;  but 
the  near  prospect  of  other  gunners  finding  them 
now,  had  stirred  him  to  go  after  '  a  mess  of 
birds.'  He  had  heard  no  roar  of  wings  when 
the  mother-bird  led  off  her  four  survivors,  so 
pocketed  the  two  he  had  killed  and  returned 
to  the  shanty. 

The  little  grouse  thus  learned  that  a  dog  is 
not  a  fox,  and  must  be  differently  played  ;  and 

an   old  lesson   was  yet  more  deeply  graven 

*  Obedience  is  long  life.' 

The  rest  of  September  was  passed  in  keeping 
quietly  out  of  the  way  of  gunners  as  well  as 
some  old  enemies.  They  still  roosted  on  the 
long,  thin  branches  of  the  hardwood  trees  among 
the  thickest  leaves,  which  protected  them  from 


lira 


48 


Redriiff 


I 


foes  m  the  air ;  the  height  saved  them  from  foes 
on  the  ground,  and  left  them  nothing  to  fear 
but  coons,  whose  slow,  heavy  tread  on  the  lim- 
ber  boughs  never  failed  to  give  them  timely 
warning.     But  the  leaves  were   falling  now- 
every  month  its  foes  and  its  food.     This  was 
nut  time,  and   it  was  owl  time,  too.      Barred 
owls  coming  down  from  the  north  doubled  or 
trebled  the  owl  population.     The  nights  were 
gettmg  frosty  and  the  coons  less  dangerous  so 
the  mother  changed  the  place  of  roosting  to  the 
thickest  foliage  of  a  hemlock-tree. 
^    Only  one  of  the  brood  disregarded  the  warn- 
mg  '  Krect,  kreet:     He  stuck  to  his   swinging 
elm-bough,  now  nearly  naked,  and  a  great  yel- 
low-eyed owl  bore  him  off  before  morning. 

Mother  and  three  young  ones  now  were  left 
but  they  were  as  big  as  she  was  ;  indeed  one' 
the  eldest,  he  of  the  chip,  was  bigger.  Thei^ 
ruffs  had  begun  to  show.  Just  the  tips,  to  tell 
what  they  would  be  like  when  grown,  and  not 
a  little  proud  they  were  of  them. 

The  ruff  is  to  the  partridge  what  the  train  is 
to  the  peacock-his  chief  beauty  and  his  pride 
A  hen's  ruff  is  black  with  a  slight  green  gloss. 
A  cock  s  IS  much  larger  and  blacker  and  is 
glossed  with  more  vivid  bottle-green.  Once  in 
a  while  a  partridge  is  born  of  unusual  size  and 


::  i 


Redrtiff  4g 

vigor,  whose  ruff  fs  not  only  larger,  but  by 
a  peculmr  kind  of  intensification  is  of  a  deep 
coppery  red.  iridescent  with  violet,  green,  and 
gold  Such  a  b.rd  is  sure  to  be  a  wonder  to 
all  who  know  him.  and  the  little  one  who  had 
squatted  on  the  chip,  and  had  always  done  what 
he  was  told,  developed  before  the  Acorn  Moon 
had  changed,  .nto  all  the  glory  of  a  gold  and 

Zh  1  '■"V':''^"'^  """^  ^^^-'f'  'hf  famous 
partridge  of  the  Don  Valley. 


I 


IV 

One  day  late  in  the  Acorn  Moon,  that  is 
about  mid  October,  as  the  grouse  family  were 
baskmg  wath  full  crops  near  a  great  pine  log 
on  the  sunlit  edge  of  the  beaver-meadow.  they 
heard  the  tar-away  bang  of  a  gun.  and  Redruff 
acting  on  some  impulse  from   within,  leaped 
on  the  log,  strutted  up  and  down  a  couple  of 
times,    then,    yielding    to  the  elation    of  the 
bright  clear,  bracing  air.  he  whirred  his  win^s 
in  loud  defiance.     Then,  giving  fuller  vent  to 
this  expression  of  vigor,  just  as  a  colt  frisks  to 
show  how  well  he  feels,  he  whirred  yet  more 
loudly,   until,  unwittingly,   he    found   himself 
drumming,  and  tickled  with  the  discovery  of  his 
new  power,  thumped  the  air  again  and  again  till 


50 


Rcdniff 


il 


"^  11  !i 


la    1 


he  filled  the  near  woods  with  the  loud  tattoo  of 
the  fully  grown  cock-partridge.  His  brother 
and  sister  heard  and  looked  on  with  admiration 
and  surprise  ;  so  did  his  mother,  but  from  that 
time  she  began  to  be  a  little  afraid  of  him. 

In   early    November  comes   the   moon  of   a 
weird    foe.     By  a   strange    law  of  nature,  not 
wholly    without  parallel   among    mankind,  all 
partridges  go  crazy  in  the  November  moon  of 
their  first  year.     They  become  possessed  of  a 
mad  hankering  to  get  away  somewhere,  it  does 
not  matter   much  where.     And  the  wisest   of 
them  do  all  sorts  of  foolish  things  at  this  period. 
They  go  drifting,  perhaps,  at  speed  over  the 
country  by  night,  and  are  cut  in  two  by  wires, 
or  dash  into  lighthouses,  or  locomotive  head- 
lights.     Daylight   finds   them    in  all    sorts   of 
absurd  places,  in  buildings,  in   open  maiahes, 
perched  on  telephone  wires  in  a  great  city,  or 
even  on  board  of  coasting  vessels.     The  craze 
seems  to  be  a  relic  of  a  bygone  habit  of  migra- 
tion, and  it  has   at   least  one   good   effect,   it 
breaks  up  the  families  and  prevents  the  constant 
intermarrying,  which  would  surely  be  fatal   to 
their  race.     It  always  takes  the  young  badly 
their  first  year,  and  they  may  have  it  again  the 
second  fall,  for  it  is  very  catching  ;  but  in  the 
third  season  it  is  practically  unknown. 


Rcdruff  2 , 

Redruffs  mother  knew  it  was  coming  as 
soon  as  she  saw  the  frost  grapes  blackening, 
and  the  maples  shedding  their  crimson  and 
gold  There  was  nothing  to  do  but  care  for 
their  health  and  keep  them  in  the  quietest  part 
ot  the  woods. 

The  first  sign  of  it  came  when  a  flock  of  wild 
geese  went  honking  southward  overhead      The 
young  ones  had  never  before  seen  such  lon^- 
necked  hawks,  and  were  afraid  of  them.     Biit 
seeing  that  their  mother  had  no  fear,  they  took 
courage,  and  watched  them  with  intense  inter- 
est.    Was  it  the  wild,  clanging  cry  that  moved 
them,  or  was  it  solely  the  inner  prompting  then 
come  to  the   surface?     A  strange  longing  to 
follow  took  possession  of  each   of  the    young 
ones.     They  watched  those  arrowy  trumpeters 
fadmg  away  to  the  south,  and  sought  out  higher 
perches  to  watch  them   farther  yet,  and  from 
that  time  things  were  no  more  the  same      The 
November  moon  was  waxing,  and  when  it  was 
tull,  the  November  madness  came. 

The  least  vigorous  of  the  flock  were  most 
affected.  The  little  family  was  scattered.  Red- 
rufT  himself  flew  on  several  long  erratic  night 
journeys.  The  impulse  took  him  southward 
but  there  lay  the  boundless  stretch  of  Lake 
Ontario,  so  he  turned  again,  and  the  wanino-  of 


Ifc 


52 


Redrujf 


the   Mad  Moon  found  him  once  more  in  the 
Mud  Creek  Glen,  but  absolutely  alone. 


A      ^1 


i 


"& 


Food  grew  scarce  as  winter  wore  on.    Red- 
ruff  clung  to  the  old  ravine  and  the  piney  sides 
of  Taylor's  Hill,  but  every  month  brought  its 
food   and  its  foes.     The  Mad   Moon   brought 
madness,  solitude,  and  grapes ;  the  Snow  Moon 
came  with  rosehips;    and   the    Stormy    Moon 
brought  browse  of  birch  and  silver  storms  that 
sheathed  the  woods  in  ice,  and  made  it  hard  to 
keep  one's  perch  while  pulling  off  the  frozen 
buds.     Redruff's  beak  grew  terribly  worn  with 
the  work,  so  that  even  when  closed  there  was 
still  an  opening  through  behind  the  hook.     But 
nature  had  prepared  him  for  the  slippery  foot- 
ing ;  his  toes,  so  slim  and  trim  in  September, 
had  sprouted  rows  of  sharp,  horny  points,  and 
these  grew  with  the  growing  cold,  till  the  first 
snow  had  found  him  fully  equipped  with  snow- 
shoes  and  ice-creepers.     The  cold  weather  had 
driven  away  most  of  the  hawks  and  owls,  and 
made  it  impossible  for  his  four-footed  enemies 
to  approach  unseen,  so  that  things  were  nearly 
balanced. 

His  flight  in  search  of  food  had  daily  led  him 


the 


Redruff  r  -> 

farther  on,  till  he  had  discovered  and  explored 
the  Rosedale  Creek,  wif^  its  banks  of  silver 
birch,  and  Castle  Frank,  with  its  grapes  and 
rowan  berries,  as  well  as  Chester  woods,  where 
amelanchier  and  Virginia-creeper  swung  their 
fruit-bunches,  and  checkerberrics  glowed  be- 
neath  the  snow. 

He  soon  found  out  that  for  some  strange 
reason  men  with  guns  did  not  go  within  the 
high  fence  of  Castle  Frank.  So  among  these 
scenes  he  lived  his  life,  learning  new  places, 
new  foods,  and  grew  wiser  and  more  beautiful 
every  day. 

He  was  quite  alone  so  far  as  kindred  were 
concerned,  but  that  scarcely  seemed  a  hardship 
Wherever  he  went  he  could  see  the  jolly  chick! 
adees  scrambling  merrily  about,  and  he  remem- 
bered   the   time  when  they  had  seemed  such 
big,  important  creatures.     They  were  the  most 
absurdly  cheerful  things  in  the  woods.     Before 
the  autumn  was  fairly  over  they  had  begun  to 
sing  their  famous  refrain,  '  Spring  Soon;  and 
kept  it  up   with  good  heart  more  or  less  all 
through  the  winter's  direst  storms,  till  at  length 
the  waning  of  the  Hungry  Moon,  our  February, 
seemed  really  to  lend  some  point  to  the  ditty' 
and  they  redoubled  their  optimistic  announce- 
ment to  the  world  in  an  '  Ltold-you-so '  mood 


i  Hi 


54 


Redruff 


Soon   good   support   was  found,   for   the  sun 
gained  strength  and  melted  the  snow  from  the 
southern  slope  of  Castle  Frank  Hill,  and  ex- 
posed   great   banks   of    fragrant    wintergn^en, 
whose  berries  were  a  bounteous  feast  for  Red- 
ruff,  and,   ending   the  hard    work    of    pulling 
frozen  browse,  gave  his  bill  the  needed  chance 
to  grow  into  its  proper  shape   again.     Very 
soon  the  first   bluebird  came  flying  over  and 
warbled  as  he  flew  '  The  spring  is  coming:    The 
sun  kept  gaining,  and  early  one  day  in  the  dark 
of  the  Wakening  Moon  of  March  there  was  a 
loud  '  Caiv,  caiv;  and  old  Silverspot,  the  king- 
crow,  came  swinging  along  from  the  south  at 
the  head  of  his  troops  and  officially  announced 

'THE  SPRING  HAS  COME.* 


All  nature  seemed  to  respond  to  this,  the 
opening  of  the  birds'  New  Year,  and  yet  it  was 
something  within  that  chiefly  seemed  to  move 
them.  The  chickadees  went  simply  wild  ;  they 
sang  their  *  Spring  now,  spring  now  now—Spring 
now  now;  so  persistently  that  one  wondered 
how  they  found  time  to  get  a  living. 

And  Redruff  felt  it  thrill  him  through  and 
through.  He  sprang  with  joyous  vigor  on  a 
stump  and  sent  rolling  down  the  little  valley, 


Rcdniff  ^^ 

again  and  again,  a  thundering  '  Thump,  thump 
thump,  thunderrrrrrrrr:  tliat  wakened  dull 
echoes  as  it  rolled,  and  voiced  his  gladness  in 
the  coming  of  the  spring. 

Avvay  down  the  valley  was  Cuddy's  shanty 
He  heard  the  drum-call  on  the  still  morning 
air  and  'reckoned  there  was  a  cock  patridge  to 
git,  and  came  sneaking  up  the  ravine  with  his 
gun.     But  Redruff  skimmed   away  in  silence 
nor  rested  till  once  more  in  Mud  Creek  Glen' 
And  there  he  mounted  the  very  log  where  first 
he  had  drummed  and  rolled  his  loud   tattoo 
again  and  again,  till  a  small  boy  who  had  taken 
a  short  cut  to  the  mill  through  the  woods,  ran 
home,  badly  scared,  to  tell  his  mother  he  was 
sui-  the  Indians  were  on  the  war-path,  for  he 
heard  their  war-c   ums  beating  in  the  glen. 

Why  does  a  happy  boy  holla?     Why  does 
a   lonesome   youth   sigh?     They   don't    know 
any  more  than  Redruff  knew  why  every  day 
now  he  mounted  some  dead  log  and  thumped 
and  thundered  to  the  woods ;  then  strutted  and 
admired   his  gorgeous   blazing  ruffs  as    they 
flashed  their  jewels  in  the  sunlight,  and  then 
thundered  out  again.     Whence  now  came  the 
strange  wish  for  someone  else  to  admire  the 
plumes?    And  why  had  such  a  notion   never 
come  till  the  Pussywillow  Moon? 


S6 


Redriiff 


'  Thump,  tJmmp,  t/mnder-r-r-r-r-r-rrrr* 
'  Thump,  thump,  thunder-r-r-r-r-r-rrrr  ' 
he  rumbled  again  and  again. 

Day  after  day  he  sought  the  favorite  log,  and 
a  new  beauty,  a  rose-red  comb,  grew  out  above 
^.p^each  clear,  keen  eye,  and  the  clumsy  snow- 
shoes  were  wholly  shed  from  his  feet.  His  ruff 
grew  finer,  his  eye  brighter,  and  his  whole  ap- 
pearance splendid  to  behold,  as  he  strutted  and 
flashed  in  the  sun.  But-oh!  he  was  so  lone 
some  now. 

Yet  what  could  he  do  but  blindly  vent  his 
hankering  in  this  daily  drum-parade,  till  on  a 
day  early  in  loveliest  May,  when  the  triUiums 
had  fringed  his  log  with  silver  stars,  and  he  had 
drummed  and  longed,  then  drummed  again,  his 
keen  ear  caught  a  sound,  a  gentle  footfall  in  the 
brush.     He  turned  to  a  statue  and  watched; 
he  knew  he  had  been  watched.     Could  it  be 
possible?    Yes  !  there  it  was— a  form— another 
~a  shy  little  lady  grouse,  now  bashfully  seek- 
ing  to  hide.     In  a  moment  he  was  by  her  side. 
His  whole  nature  swamped  by  a  new  feeling- 
burnt  up  with  thirst— a  cooling  spring  in  sight. 
And  how  he  spread  and  flashed  his  proud  array  ! 
How  came  he  to  know  that  that  would  i)Icasc? 
He  puffed  his  plumes  and  contrived  to  stand 
just  right  to  catch  the  sun,  and  strutted  and 


Redruff 


57 
uttered  a  low.  soft  chuckle  that  must  have  been 

ac  Tor  cl     T  '''  '  r "'  """"''"^^ '  °^  -°'her 
race,  for  clearly  novv  her  heart  was  won.    Won 

really  days  ago,  if  only  he  had  known.    For  full' 

three  days  she  had  come  at  the  loud  tattoo  and 

coyly  admired  him  from  afar,  and  felt  a  little 

pquedthathehadnotyetfoundherout,soclose 
at  hand.  So  it  was  not  quite  all  mischance 
perhaps,  that  that  little  stamp  had  caught  h"' 
ear.  But  now  .ae  meekly  bowed  her  head  with 
sweet,  submissive  grace-the  desert  passed,  the 
parch-burnt  wanderer  found  the  spring  at  last. 

Oh,   those   were    bright,  glad  davs  in  the 
lovely  glen  of  the  unlovely  name.  '  The  sun 
was  never  so  bright,  and  the  piney  air  was 
balmier  s^veet  than  dreams.     And  that  grea 
nob  e  bird  came  daily  on  his  log.  someties 
with    her    and    sometimes    quite    alone     and 
drummed   for  very  joy  of  being  aliVe     But 
why  sometimes  alone  ?     Why  not'^forever  with 
h.s  Brownie  bride?     Why  should  she  stay  to 
feast  and  play  with  him  for  hours  then  lake 

no  more  for  hours  or  till  next  day.  when  his 

ess  for  her  quick  return  ?    There  was  a  wood- 
land mystery  here  he  could  not  clear.     Why 


i 


58 


Redruff 


\SB 


should  her  stay  with  him  grow  daily  less  till  it 
was  down  to  minutes,  and  one  day  at  last  she 
never  came  at  all.  Nor  the  next,  nor  the  next, 
and  Redruff,  wild,  careered  on  lightning  wing 
and  drummed  on  the  old  log,  then  away  up- 
stream on  another  log,  and  skimmed  the  hill  to 
another  ravine  to  drum  and  drum.  But  on  the 
fourth  day,  when  he  came  and  loudly  called 
her,  as  of  old,  at  their  earliest  tryst,  he  heard  a 
sound  in  the  bushes,  as  at  first,  and  there  was 
his  missing  Brownie  bride  with  ten  little  peep- 
ing partridges  following  after. 

Redruff  skimmed  to  her  side,  terribly  fright- 
ening the  bright-eyed  downlings,  and  was  just 
a  little  dashed  to  find  the  brood  with  claims 
far  stronger  than  his  own.  But  he  soon  ac- 
cepted the  change,  and  thenceforth  joined  him- 
self to  the  brood,  caring  for  them  as  his  father 
never  had  for  him. 


VI 

Good  fathers  are  rare  in  the  grouse  world. 
The  mother-grouse  builds  her  nest  and  hatch- 
es out  her  young  without  help.  She  even 
hides  the  place  of  the  nest  from  the  father  and 
meets  him  only  at  the  drum-log  and  the  feed- 
ing- ground,  or  perhaps  the  dusting -place, 
which  is  the  club-house  of  the  grouse  kind. 


Redruff  rg 

When  Brownie's  little  ones  came  out  they 
had  filled  her  every  thought,  even  to  the  for- 
getting of  their  splendid  father.  But  on  the 
third  day,  when  they  were  strong  enough,  she 
had  taken  them  with  her  at  the  father's  call. 

Some  fathers  take  no  interest  in  their  lit- 
tie  ones,  but  Redruff  joined  at  once  to  help 
Brownie  in  the  task  of  rearing  the  brood. 
They  had  learned  to  eat  and  drink  just  as 
their  father  had  learned  long  ago,  and  could 
toddle  along,  with  their  mother  leading  the 
way,  while  the  father  ranged  near  by  or  fol- 
lowed far  behind. 

The  very  next  day,  as  they  went  from  the 
hill-side  down  toward  the  creek  in  a  somewhat 
drawn-out  string,  like  beads  with  a  big  one  at 
each  end,  a   red   squirrel,  peeping    around   a 
pine-trunk,   watched   the  processing  of  down- 
lings  with  the   Runtie    straggling  far  in   the 
rear.     Redruff,   yards    behind,    preening    his 
feathers  on  a  high  log,  had  escaped  the  eye  of 
the  squirrel,  whose  strange,  perverted   thirst 
for  birdling  blood  was  roused  at  what  seemed 
so  fiir  a  chance.     With  murderous  intent   to 
cut  off  the  hindmost  straggler,  he  made  a  dash. 
Brownie  could  not  have  seen  him  until  too  late 
but  Redruff  did.     He  flew  for  that  red-haired 
cutthroat ;  his  weapons  were  his  fists,  that  is. 


'Mi 


6o 


Redrtiff 


the  knob-joints  of  the  wings,  and  what  a  blow 
he  could  strike  !  At  the  first  onset  he  struck 
the  squirrel  square  on  the  end  of  the  nose,  his 
weakest  spot,  and  sent  him  reeling ;  he  stag- 
gered and  wriggled  into  a  brush-pile,  where 
he  had  expected  to  carry  the  little  grouse,  and 
there  lay  gasping  with  red  drops  trickling 
down  his  wicked  snout.  The  partridges  left 
him  lying  there,  and  what  became  of  him  they 
never  knew,  but  he  troubled  them  no  more. 

The  family  went  on  toward  the  water,  but  a 
cow  had  left  deep  tracks  in  the  sandy  loam, 
and  into  one  of  these  fell  one  of  the  chicks  and 
peeped  in  dire  distress  when  he  found  he  could 
not  get  out. 

This  was  a  fix.  Neither  old  one  seemed  to 
know  what  to  do,  but  as  they  trampled  vainly 
round  the  edge,  the  sandy  bank  caved  in,  and, 
running  down,  formed  a  long  slope,  up  which 
the  young  one  ran  and  rejoined  his  brothers 
under  the  broad  veranda  of  their  mother's  tail. 

Brownie  was  a  bright  little  mother,  of  small 
stature,  but  keen  of  wit  and  sense,  and  was, 
night  and  day,  alert  to  care  for  her  darling 
chicks.  How  proudly  she  stepped  and  clucked 
through  the  arching  woods  with  her  dainty 
brood  behind  her ;  how  she  strained  her  little 
brown  tail  almost  to  a  half-circle  to  give  them 


RedrutT  suving  Ruiitle. 


Redruff 


6i 


a  broader  shade,  and  never  flinched  at  sij^ht  of 
any  foe,  but  held  ready  to  fight  or  fly,  which- 
ever secmc  J  the  best  fot-  her  little  ones. 

Before  the  chicks  could  fly  they  had  a  meet- 
ing with  old  Cuddy ;  though  it  was  June,  he 
was  out  with  his  gun.  Up  the  third  ravine  he 
went,  and  Tike,  his  dog,  ranging  ahead,  came 
so  dangerously  near  the  Brownie  brood  that 
Redrull  ran  to  meet  him,  and  by  the  old  but 
never-failing  trick  led  him  on  a  foolish  chase 
away  back  down  the  valley  of  the  Don. 

But  Cuddy,  as  it  chanced,  came  right  along, 
straight  for  the  brood,  and  Brownie,  giving 
the  signal  to  the  children,  '  Krrr,  krrr '  (Hide, 
hide),  ran  to  lead  the  man  away  just  as  her 
mate  had  led  the  dog.  Full  of  a  mother's  de- 
voted love,  and  skilled  in  the  learning  of  the 
woods  she  ran  in  silence  till  quite  near,  then 
sprang  with  a  roar  of  wings  right  in  his  face, 
and  tumbling  on  the  leaves  she  shammed  a 
lameness  that  for  a  moment  deceived  the 
poacher.  But  when  she  dragged  one  wing 
and  whined  about  his  feet,  then  slowly  crawled 
away,  he  knew  just  what  it  meant— that  it  was 
all  a  trick  to  lead  him  from  her  brood,  and  he 
struck  at  her  a  savage  blow ;  but  little  Brownie 
was  quick,  she  avoided  the  blow  and  limped 
behind  a  sapling,  there  to   beat  herself  upon 


!  \ 


] 


1;; 


62 


Redrtiff 


the  leaves  a^ain  in  sore  distress,  and  seem  so 
lame  that  Cuddy  made  another  try  to  strike 
her  down  with  a  stick.  But  she  moved  in 
time  to  balk  him,  and  bravely,  steadfast  still  to 
lead  him  from  her  helpless  little  ones,  she  flung 
herself  before  him  and  beat  her  gentle  breast 
upon  the  ground,  and  moaned  as  though  beg- 
ging for  mercy.  And  Cuddy,  failing  again  to 
strike  her,  raised  his  gun,  and  firing  charge 
enough  to  kill  a  bear,  he  blew  poor  brave,  de- 
voted Brownie  into  quivering,  bloody  rags! 

This  gunner  brute  knew  the  young  must  be 
hiding  near,  so  looked  about  to  find  them.  But 
no  one  moved  or  peeped.  He  saw  not  one,  but 
as  he  tramped  about  with  heedless,  hateful  feet, 
he  crossed  and  crossed  again  their  hiding- 
ground,  and  more  than  one  of  the  silent  little 
sufferers  he  trampled  to  death,  and  neither 
knew  nor  cared. 

Redruff  had  taken  the  yellow  brute  away  off 
down-stream,  and  now  returned  to  where  he 
left  his  mate.  The  murderer  had  gone,  taking 
her  remains,  to  be  thrown  to  the  dog.  RedruFf 
sought  about  and  found  the  bloody  spot  with 
feathers,  Brownie's  feathers,  scattered  around, 
and  now  he  knew  the  meaning  of  that  shot. 

VVh(^  can  tell  what  his  horror  and  his  mourn- 
ing were  ?     The  outward  signs  were  few,  some 


Redruff 


63 


minutes  dumbly  gazing  at  the  place  with  down- 
cast, draggled  look,  and  then  a  change  at  the 
thought  of  their  helpless  brood.  Back  to  the 
hiding-place  he  went,  and  called  the  well-known 
'  Krcet,  krcet.'  Did  every  grave  give  up  its  lit- 
tle inmate  at  the  magic  word  ?  No,  barely 
more  than  half ;  six  little  balls  of  down  un- 
veiled their  lustrous  eyes,  and,  rising,  ran  to 
meet  him,  but  four  feathered  little  bodies  had 
found  their  graves  indeed.  Redruff  called 
again  and  again,  till  he  was  sure  that  all  who 
could  respond  had  come,  then  led  them  from 
that  dreadful  place,  far,  far  away  up-stream, 
where  barbed-wire  fences  and  bramble  thickets 
were  found  to  offer  a  less  grateful,  but  more  re- 
liable, shelter. 

Here  the  brood  grew  and  were  trained  by 
their  father  just  as  his  mother  had  trained  him; 
though  wider  knowledge  and  experience  gave 
him  many  advantages.  He  knew  so  well  the 
country  round  and  all  the  feeding-grounds,  and 
how  to  meet  the  ills  that  harass  partridge-life, 
that  the  summer  passed  and  not  a  chick  was 
lost.  They  grew  and  flourished,  and  when  the 
Gunner  Moon  arrived  they  were  a  fine  family 
of  six  grown-up  grouse  with  Redruff,  splendid 
in  his  gleaming  copper  feathers,  at  their  head. 
He  had  ceased  to  drum  during  the  summer 


ill! 


64 


Redrtiff 


after  the  loss  of  Brownie,  but  drummincr  is  to 
the  partridge  what  singing  is  to  the  lark  ;  while 
it  is  his  love-song,  it  is  also  an  expression  of 
e\H])erance  born  of  health,  and  when  the  molt 
was  over  and  September  food  and  weather  had 
renewed  his  splendid  plumes  and  braced  him 
up  again,  his  spirits  revived,  and  finding  him- 
self one  day  near  the  old  log  he  mounted  im- 
pulsiveiy,  and  drummed  again  and  again. 

From  that  time  he  often  drummed,  while  his 
children  sat  around,  or  one  who  showed  his 
father's  blood  would  mount  some  nearby  stump 
or  stone,  and  beat  the  air  in  the  loud  tattoo. 

The  black  grapes  and  the  Mad  Moon  now 
came  on.  But  Redruff's  brood  were  of  a  vigor- 
ous stock  ;  their  robust  health  meant  robust 
wits,  and  though  they  got  the  craze,  it  passed 
within  a  week,  and  only  three  had  flown  away 
for  good. 

Red  ruff,  with  his  remaining  three,  was  living 
in  the  glen  when  the  snow  came.  Tt  was  light, 
flaky  snow,  and  as  the  weather  was  not  very 
cold,  the  family  squatted  for  the  night  under 
the  low,  flat  boughs  of  a  cedar-tree.  But  next 
day  the  storm  continued,  it  grew  colder,  and 
the  drifts  piled  up  all  day.  At  night  the  snow- 
fall  ceased,  but  the  frost  grew  harder  still,  so 
Redruff,  leading  the  family  to  a  birch-tree  above 


\ 


\i 


\ 


Redruff 


\ 


Ti 


65 


a  deep  drift,  dived  into  the  snow,  and  the  others 
did  the  same.  Then  into  the  holes  the  wind 
blew  the  loose  snow— their  pure  white  bed- 
clothes,  and  thus  tucked  in  they  slept  in  com- 
fort,  for  the  snow  is  a  warm  wrap,  and  the  air 
passes  through  it  easily  enough  for  breathing. 
Next  morning  each  partridge  found  a  solid  wall 
of  ice  before  him  from  his  frozen  breath,  but 
easily  turned  to  one  side  and  rose  on  the  wing 
at  Redruff  s  morning  ' Krect,  krcct,  kwit:  (Come 
children,  come  children,  fly.) 

This  was  the  hrst  night  for  them  in  a  snow- 
drift, though  it  was  an  old  story  to  Redruff,  and 
next  night  they  merrily  dived  again  into  bed, 
and  the  north  wind  tucked  them  in  as  before. 
But  a  change  of  weather  was  brewing.  The 
night  wind  veered  to  the  east.  A  fall  of  heavy 
flakes  gave  place  to  sleet,  and  that  to  silver 
rain.  The  whole  wide  world  was  sheathed  in 
ice,  and  when  the  grouse  awoke  to  quit  their 
beds,  they  found  themselves  sealed  in  with  a 
great,  cruel  sheet  of  edgeless  ice. 

The  deeper  snow  was  still  quite  soft,  and 
Redruff  bored  his  way  to  the  top,  but  there  the 
hard,  white  sheet  defied  his  strength.  Hammer 
and  struggle  as  he  might  he  could  make  no  im- 
pression, and  only  bruised  his  wings  and  head. 
His  life  had  been  made  up  of  keen  joys  and 


66 


Redniff 


dull  hardships,  with  frequent  sudden  desperate 
straits,  but  this  seemed  the  hardest  brunt  ol 
all,  as  the  slow  hours  wore  on  and  found  him 
weakening;  with  his  struggles,  but  no  nearer 
to  freedom.  He  could  hear  the  struggling  of 
his  family,  too,  or  sometimes  heard  them  call- 
ing to  him  for  help  with  their  long-drawn 
plaintive  ' p-ev-e-c-c-t-ey p.c-c-c-c-c-t-v' 

They  were  hidden  from  many  of  their  ene- 
mies, but  not  from  the  pangs  of  hunger,  and 
when  the  night  came  down  the  weary  prison- 
ers, worn  out  with  hunger  and  useless  toil, 
grew  quiet  in  despair.  At  first  they  had  been 
afraid  the  fox  would  come  and  find  them  im- 
prisoned there  at  his  mercy,  but  as  the  second 
night  went  slowly  by  they  no  longer  cared,  and 
even  wished  he  would  come  and  break  the 
crusted  snow,  and  so  give  them  at  least  a  fight- 
ing chance  for  life. 

But  when  the  fox  really  did  come  padding 
over  the  frozen  drift,  the  deep-laid  love  of  life 
revived,  and  they  crouched  in  utter  stillness 
till  he  passed.  The  second  day  was  one  of 
driving  storm.  The  north  wind  sent  his  snow- 
horses,  hissing  and  careering  over  the  white 
earth,  tossing  and  curling  their  white  manes 
and  kicking  up  more  snow  as  they  dashed  on. 
The  long,  hard  grinding  of  the  granular  snow 


Rcdrtiff 


67 


seemed    to   be   thinning    the    snow-crust,   for 
tlK)ugh  far  from  (hirk  below,  it  kept  on  grow- 
ing lighter.     Rcdruff  had  pecked  and  pecked 
at  the  under  side  ail  day,  till   his  head  ached 
and  his  bill  was  wearing  blunt,  but  when  the 
sun  went  down  he  seemed  as  far  as  ever  from 
escape.     The  night  passed  like  the  others,  ex- 
cept no  fox   went   trotting   overhead.     In  the 
morning  he  renewed  his  pecking,  though  now 
with  scarcely  any  force,  and  the  voices  or  strug- 
gles  of  the  others  were  no  more  heard.     As  the 
daylight  grew  stronger  he  could  see  that  his 
long  efforts   had  made  a  brighter  spot  above 
him    in    the   snow,   and    he   continued    feebly 
pecking.     Outside,   the   storm-horses    kept  on 
trampling  all  day,  the  crust  was  really  growing 
thin  under  their  heels,  and  late  that  afternoon 
his  bill  went  through  into  the  open  air.     New 
life  came  with  this  gain,  and  he  pecked  away, 
till  just  before  the  sun  went  down  he  had  made 
a  hole  that  his  head,  his   neck,  and  his  ever- 
beautiful  ruffs  could    pass.      Mis  great,  broad 
shoulders  were   too   large,  but  he  could  now 
strike    downward,    which   gave    him    fourfold 
force  ;  the  snow-crust  crumbled  quickly,  and  in 
a  little  while  he  sprang  from  his  icy  prison  once 
more  free.     But  the  young  ones  !  Redruff  flew 
to  the  nearest  bank,  hastily  gathered  a  few  red 


II  i  <'i 


68 


Redruff 


hips   to   stay   his    gnawing    hunger,   then    re- 
turned   to    the   prison-drift   and   clucked   and 
stamped.     He   got  only   one   reply,   a  feeble 
'peete,  peete;   and    scratching   with    his    sharp 
claws  on  the  thinned  granular  sheet  he  soon 
broke  through,  and  Graytail  feebly  crawled  out 
of  the  hole.     But  that  was  all ;  the  others,  scat- 
tered he  could  not  tell  where  in  the  drift,  made 
no  reply,  gave  no  sign  of  life,  and  he  was  forced 
to  leave  them.     When  the  snow  melted  in  the 
spring  their  bodies  came  to  view,  skin,  bones, 
and  feathers— nothing  more. 


VII 

It  was  long  before  Redruff  and  Graytail  fully 
recovered,  but  food  and  rest  in  plenty  are  sure 
cure-alls,  and  a  bright,  clear  day  in  midwinter 
had   the  usual  effect  of  setting  the  vigorous 
Redruff  to  drumming  on  the  log.     Was  it  the 
drumming,  or  the  tell-tale  tracks  of  their  snow- 
shoes  on  the  omnipresent  snow,  that  betrayed 
them  to  Cuddy  ?    He  came  prowling  again  and 
agam  up  the  ravine,  with  dog  and  gun,  intent 
to  hunt  the  partridges  down.     They  knew  him 
of  old,  and  he  was  coming  now  to  know  them 
wel'      That  great  copper-ruffed  cock  was  be- 
coming  famous  up  and  down  the  valley.     Dur- 


Rcdritff 


69 


Ml 


ing  the  Gunner  Moon  many  a  one  had  tried  to 
end  his  splendid  life,  just  as  a  worthless  wretch 
of  old  sought  fame  by  burning  the  Ephesian 
wonder  of  the  world.  But  Redruff  was  deep 
in  woodcraft.  He  knew  just  where  to  hide 
and  when  to  rise  on  silent  wing,  and  when  to 
squat  till  overstepped,  then  rise  on  thunder 
wing  within  a  yard  to  shield  himself  at  once 
behind  some  mighty  tree-trunk  and  speed 
away. 

But  Cuddy  never  ceased  to  follow  with  his 
gun   that  red-ruffed  cock ;  many  a  long  snap- 
shot  he  tried,  but  somehow  always  found  a  tree 
a  bank,  or  some  safe  shield  between,  and  Red! 
ruff  lived  and  throve  and  drummed. 

When  the  Snow  Moon  came  he  moved  with 
Graytail  to   the   Castle   Frank   woods,   where 
food   was  plenty  as  well  as  grand  old   trees 
There    was   in   particular,   on    the   east   slope 
among  the  creeping  hemlocks,  a  splendid  pine 
It  was  six  feet  through,  and  its  first  branches 
began  at  the  tops  of  the  other  trees.     Its  top 
in  summer-time  was  a  famous  resort  for   the 
bluejay  and  his  bride.     Here,  far  beyond  the 
reach  of  shot,  in   warm   spring   days   the  jay 
would  sing  and  dance  before  his  mate,  spread 
his  bright  blue  plumes  and  warble  the  sweetest 
fairyland  music,  so  sweet  and  soft  that  few  hear 


70 


Redruff 


it  but  the  one  for  whom  it  is  meant,  and  books 
know  nothing  at  all  about  it. 

This  great  pine  had  an  especial  interest  for 
Redruff,  now   living  near  with  his   remaining 
young  one,  but  its  base,  not  its  far-away  crown, 
concerned  him.     All  around  were  low,  creep- 
ing hemlocks,  and  an:  ong  them  the  partridge- 
vine  and  the  wintergreen  grew,  and  the  sweet 
black  acorns  could  be  scratched  from  under  the 
snow.     There    was   no  better  feeding-ground, 
for  when  that  insatiable  gunner  came  on  them 
there  it  was  easy  to  fun  low  among  the  hem- 
lock to  the  great  pine,  then  rise  with  a  derisive 
whirr  behind  its  bulk,  and    keeping  the  huge 
trunk  in  line  with  the  deadly  gun,  skim  off  in 
safety.     A  dozen  times  at  least  the   pine  had 
saved  them  during  the  lawful  murder  season, 
and  here  it   was   that   Cuddy,   knowing   their 
feeding   habits,  laid  a   new   trap.     Under  the 
bank  he  sneaked  and  watched  in  ambush  while 
an  accomplice  went  around  the  Sugar  Loaf  to 
drive  the  birds.     He  came  trampling  through 
the  low  thicket   where  Redruff  and   Graytail 
were  feeding,  and  long  before  the  gunner  was 
dangerously  near  Redruff  gave  a  low  warning 
Vrr-rrr' (danger)  and  walked  quickly  toward 
the  great  pine  in  case  they  had  to  rise. 
Graytail  was  some  distance  up  the  hill,  and 


I 


1 


Redruff  7  J 

suddenly  caught  sight  of  a  new  fre  close  at 
hand,  the  yellow  cur,  coming  right  on.  Red- 
ruff, much  farther  off,  could  not  see  him  for  the 
bushes,  and  Graytail  became  greatly  alarmed 

'Kwit,  kwir  (Fly,   fly),   she  cried,    running 
down  the  hill  for  a  start.     '  Kreet,  k-r-r-r '  (This 
way,  hide),  cried  the  cooler  Redruff,  for  he  saw 
that  now  the  man  with  the  gun  was  getting  in 
range.     He  gained   the  great   trunk,   and   be- 
hind jt,  as  he  paused  a  moment  to  call  earnest 
ly  to  Graytail,  '  This  way,  this  way,'  he  heard 
a  slight  noise  under  the  bank  before  him  thac 
betrayed  the  ambush,  then  there  was  a  terrified 
cry  from  Graytail  as  the  dog  sprang  at  her 
she  rose  in  air  and  skimmed  behind  the  shield- 
ing trunk,  away  from  the  gunner  in  the  open, 
right  into  the  power  of  the  miserable  wretch 
under  the  bank. 

Whirr,  and  up  she  weat,  a  beautiful,  sentient, 
noble  being. 

Bang,  and  down  she  fell— battered  and  bleed- 
ing,  to  gasp  her  life  out  and  to  lie  a  rumpled 
miss  of  carrion  in  the  snow. 

It  was  a  perilous  place  for  Rediuff.  There 
was  no  chance  for  a  safe  rise,  so  he  squatted 
low.  The  dog  came  within  fe  :eet  of  him,  and 
the  stranger,  coming  across  to  Cuddy,  passed 
at  five  feet,  but  he  never  mcv-d  till  a  chance 


'in 


\ 


1^. 


Redrti^ 


■\  : 


came  to  slip  behind  the  great  trunk  away  from 
both.  Then  he  safely  rose  and  flew  to  the 
lonely  glen  by  Taylor's  Hill. 

One  by  one  the  deadly  cruel  gun  had  strick- 
en his  near  ones  down,  till  now,  once  more,  he 
was  alone.  The  Snow  Moon  slowly  passed 
with  many  a  narrow  escape,  and  Redrufif,  now 
known  to  be  the  only  survivor  of  his  kind,  was 
relentlessly  pursued,  and  grew  wilder  every 
day. 

It  seemed,  at  length,  a  waste  of  time  to  fol- 
low  him   with  a  gun,  so  when  the  snow  was 
deepest,  and  food  scarcest.   Cuddy  hatched  a 
new   plot.    Right  across  the  feeding-ground, 
almost  the  only  good  one  now  in  the  Stormy 
Moon,  he  set  a  row   of  snares.     A   cottontail 
rabbit,  an  old  friend,  cut  several  of  these  with 
his  sharp  teeth,  but  some  remained,  and  Red- 
ruff,  watching  a  far-off  speck  that  might  turn 
out  a  hawk,  trod  right  in  one  of  them,  and  in  an 
instant  was  jerked  into  the  air  to  dangle  by  one 
foot. 

Have  the  wild  things  no  moral  or  legal 
rights?  What  right  has  man  to  inflict  such 
long  and  fearful  agony  on  a  fellow-creature, 
simply  because  that  creature  does  not  speak 
his  language?  All  that  day,  with  growing, 
racking  pains,  poor  Redruff  hung  and  beat  his 


Redyuff  y^ 

great,  strong  wings  in  helpless  struggles  to  be 
free.     All  day,  all  night,  with  growing  torture 
until  he  only  longed  for  death.     But  no  one 
came.     The  morning  broke,  the  day  wore  on 
and  still  he  hung  there,  slowly  dying  ;  his  very 
strength  a  curse.     The  second  night  crawled 
slowly  down,  and  when,  in  the  dawdling  hours 
of  darkness,  a  great   Horned  Owl,  drawn  by 
the  feeble  flutter  of  a  dying  wing,  cut  short 
the  pam,  the  deed  was  wholly  kind. 

The  wind  blew  down  the  valley  from   the 
north.      The  snow -horses  went   racing  over 
the  wrinkled  ice,  over  the  Don  Flats,  and  over 
the  marsh  toward  the  lake,  white,  for  they  were 
driven  snow,  but  on  them,  scattered  dark,  were 
riding  plumy  fragments  of  partridge  ruffs— the 
famous  rainbow  ruffs.     And  they  rode  on  the 
wind  that  night,  away,  away  to  the  south,  over 
the  dark  lake,  as  they  rode  in  the  gloom  of  his 
Mad  Moon  flight,  riding  and  riding  on  till  they 
were  engulfed,  the  last  trace  of  the  last  of  the 
Don  Valley  race. 

For  no  partridge  is  heard  in  Castle  Frank 
now-and  in  Mud  Creek  Ravine  the  old  pine 
drum-log,  unused,  has  rotted  in  silence  away. 


RAGGYLUG 

THE  STORY  OF  A  COTTONTAIL  RABBIT 


t<i?;s 


-^>^ 


^ 


a  . 


I 


RAGGYLUG 

THE  STORY  OF  A  COTTONTAIL 

RABBIT 

RAGGYLUG,  or  Rag,  was  the  name  of  a 
young  cottontail  rabbit.  It  was  given 
him  from  his  torn  and  ragged  ear,  a 
life-mark  that  he  got  in  his  first  adventure. 
He  lived  with  his  mother  in  Olifant's  swamp, 
where  I  made  their  acquaintance  and  gathered,' 
in  a  hundred  different  ways,  the  little  bits  of 
proof  and  scraps  of  truth  that  at  length  enabled 
me  to  write  this  history. 

Those  who  do  not  know  the  animals  well 
may  think  I  have  humanized  them,  but  those 
who  have  lived  so  near  them  as  to  know  some- 
what  of  their  ways  and  their  minds  will  not 
think  so. 

Truly  rabbits  have  no  speech  as  we  under- 
stand it,  but  they  have  a  way  of  conveying 
ideas  by  a  system  of  sounds,  signs,  scents, 
whisker-touches,  movements,  and  example  that 
answers  the  purpose  of  speech  ;  and  it  must  be 

77 


I 
ill 

M 


i 


i  I 


78 


Rasgylug 


remembered  that  though  in  telling  this  story  I 
freely  translate  from  rabbit  into  English,  /  re- 
peat  nothing  that  thiy  did  not  say. 


The  rank  swamp  grass  bent  over  and  con- 
cealed  the  snug  nest  where  Raggylug's  mother 
f.ad  hidden  him.     She  had  partly  covered  him 
with  some  of  the  bedding,  and,  as  always,  her 
last  warning  was  to  '  lay  low  and  say  nothino- 
whatever  happens.'     Though  tucked  in  bed  ire 
was  wide  awake  and  his  bright  eyes  were  taking 
in  that  part  oj  his  little  green  world  that  was 
straight  above.     A  bluejay  and  a  red-squirrel, 
two  notorious   thieves,   were   loudly   berating- 
each  other  for  stealing,  and  at  one  time  Rag's 
home  bush  was  the  centre  of  their  fight  •  a  yel 
low  warbler  caught  a  blue  butterfly  but  six 
inches  from  his  nose,  and  a  scarlet  and  black 
ladybug,  serenely  waving  her  knobbed  feelers 
took  a  long  walk  up  one  grassblade,  down  an! 
other,  and  across  the  nest  and  over  Rag's  face 
—and  yet  he  never  moved  nor  even  winked 

After  awhile  he  heard  a  strange  rustling  of 
the  leaves  in  the  near  thicket.  It  was  an  odd, 
continuous  sound,  and  though  it  went  this  way 
and  that  way  and  came  ever  nearer,  there  was 


Mammy,  Mammy!"  he  screamed,  in  mortal  terror. 


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Raggyhig 


79 


no  patter  of  feet  with  it.  Rag  had  lived  his 
whole  life  in  the  swamp  (he  was  three  weeks 
old)  and  yet  had  never  heard  anything  like 
thjs.  Of  course  his  curiosity  was  greatly 
aroused.  His  mother  had  cautioned  him  to 
lay  low,  but  that  was  understood  to  be  in  case 
of  danger,  and  this  strange  sound  without  foot- 
falls could  not  be  any  to  fear. 

The  low  rasping  went  past  close  at  hand, 
then  to  the  right,  then  back,  and  seemed  going 
away.  Rag  felt  he  knew  what  he  was  about ; 
he  wasn't  a  baby;  it  was  his  duty  to  learn 
what  it  was.  He  slowly  raised  his  roly-poly 
body  on  his  short,  fluffy  legs,  lifted  his  Httle 
round  head  above  the  covering  of  his  nest  and 
peeped  out  into  the  woods.  The  sound  had 
ceased  as  soon  as  he  moved.  He  saw  nothing, 
so  took  one  step  forward  to  a  clear  view,  and 
instantly  found  himself  face  to  face  with  an 
enormous  Black  Serpent. 

"  Mammy,"  he  screamed  in  mortal  terror 
as  the  monster  darted  at  him.  Wi  i  all  the 
strength  of  his  tiny  limbs  he  tried  to  run.  But 
in  a  flash  the  Snake  had  him  by  one  ear  and 
whipped  around  him  with  his  coils  to  gloat 
over  the  helpless  little  baby  bunny  he  had  se- 
cured for  dinner. 

"  Mam-my  —  Mam-my,"    gasped   poor   little 


■h 


So 


^'iQxy^u^ 


>  y 


^^'^^i^i^yUi^  as  the  cvtuA  , 

"<"^'<   crv    u„„|,|    u,„o  ^,       ""   "«-■    '""c 

Alaminy.      Nolon.^cr    t     ,"""'•'""'»' came 

.'•'^ptiio.  wi..J.;,,;j;;;  ''/•^•'■•'■aM,,,,.,,i,,e 

■^-•"  -^  «""«.".^  b,<,>;"  ,  7  !--'.>'.•v.•"^'  in,,. 

!«■"  and  |,i,scd  with  a„,4  '''""""■■''  "■'"' 

"  M-a-m-ni-y,"  ca„,c   U-cbl.-    , 

°"=-  And  flfa,„,nv  ca„e  .  "'"  ""^  ''»'« 
,^^-;"  and  struck  l,a,d  .';,••'!.''"*''  '^^-'"  and 
'-'ath.s,„„e  reptile  let  ..„  ,,  ,  ,  ""'"'''  """'  "'e 
"■'^•''  to  bite  the  o  d^  ,  ''  ""''''  "''  and 

^'"f  all  he  ffot   w"  '  ■'•■'  """  ''■-aped  over 

•-"^    '>',„.  ,.,„,,;  ,.^^  ^'  ^  ■;     l"-vs  began   to  tell. 
S"akes  scalv  annor  '  """"  '■"   "'«=  "'ack 

'-'  '"•«  •■-..lU  hold  on  n  ,  T  '■''"■^"-  '- 
once  urisj^ied  out  of  the  .  ,  '""^■'  ''''°  at 
""■  '"Xlchrush,  b,ea  I,    s^    "''  "'"'  •''"'"y  ■•'to 

--'^-  '^-  ....hurt  sav:' ti "  ,:T;;r^-  ^^'•^"'- 

'**  'eu  ear   was 


Rai^gyhig 


?a!l    slowly 

the   little 

*^o^v  came 
less   liuic 
I  shadow. 
The  cry 

Iiornhic 
111  in  wifh 
^''i«-  hini 
lecJ  with 

ie   little 
"^^n  and 
ntil  the 
t^ar  and 
J  over. 
>I  each 
to  tell, 
Black 

'Hake  ; 
re,  he 
'lo  at 
'  into 

was 


8i 


much  torn  by  the  teeth  of  that  dreadful  Ser- 
pent. 

Molly  had  now  ^rai.K'd  all  she  wanted.  She 
had  no  notion  of  h-htinir  for  ^V^y  or  reven^rc 
Away  she  went  into  the  woods  and  the  little 
one  followed  the  shinin^r  beacon  of  her  snow- 
white  tail  nntil  she  led  him  to  a  safe  corner  of 
the  Swamp. 

II 

Old  Olifant's  Swamp  was  a  rou-h,  brambly 
tract  of  second-crrowth   woods,  with  a  marshy 
pond  and  a  stream    throu-h   the   middle.      A 
few    racr^red    ro.nnants  of    the   old   forest   still 
stood  in  it  and  a  few  of  the  still  older  trunks 
were   lyincr  about  as   dead    Io<rs  i„  the  brush, 
wood.     The   land  about  the  pond  was  of   that 
willow-^rrown,  sed-y  kind  that  cats  and  horses 
avoid,  but  that  cattle  do  not  fear.     The  drier 
zones  were  over^rrown  with   briars  and  youn^r 
trees.     The  outermost  belt  of  all,  that  next  the 
fields,   was  of  thrifty,  ^nimmy-trunked   young 
pines    whose   living   needles   in   air   and  dead 
ones  on  earth  offer  so  delicious  an  odor  to  the 
nostrils   of   the    passer-by,    and    so    deadly   a 
breath  to  those  seedlings  that  would  compete 
with  them  for  the  worthless  waste  they  grow 
on. 


S2 


^<a(:oyiif^ 


4   .     ^\ 


All   around    for   i    i 
'■"••'^'■^.   a,ul    U,e    only    "m  "?  ,""^  ""°°'" 
crosscHi  these  fields  LretL,    ■•■'f-'    "'''"   *-■^'••'• 

y'^ada„c...„scn,p:,:;  r;;^''''"7".h- 

too  near.  ^"'^^  "vcd  onjy 

^^'-^X '''  •^--'^  -- 

^-    away,    a:,:!   the  '^r.^.-^''^'''-- -re 

This  was  their  home  V         '  '"'"'   d'^ad- 

aether,   and   he       R^        '"■''•■  "''^^  "-^  'o- 

^hat  made  his  sJeefsLr '"''''''-'  '™"'-"^' 

Molly  was  a   srood    I,'rfi«* 
f'-"-carei»UnW    J  Tr^-'^-e 

learned  was  -  to  la;,„;  Z..  ,'  '"=  ""'  'hing  he 

adventure  with  thl-  s"    i "    ,     ',  """"■"^•'     "'^ 
do".  of  this.     R^.t  '"     '    ''"'*'""  '"■'"  the  wis. 
afterward  he  did  as  hJ"''        *-'"'  "'''"   '"=°"  J 
the  other  thin,   co"!  '  ''''  ""'''  ''"^  ''  '"ade 
Theseeondls"      ,.r;"""">'' 

''^--ontorr  ,■  :rR'^^"'^'---- 

"  as  soon  as  he  cotdd  run  ^  ''^'  '""&'" 

"o  matter  whatt  do  ::?1r  ^^'^  "-^ 
'-tail  keeps  just  as  he "s  t ^  "f  '"''"'  ^°'- 
■nent,  for  the  creatures  oth  T  ''"'  '"°^- 

=a".e  color  as  the  ,hi ,"  1        """^^f  ''"•^  "^  "- 

t''-yeonlywhilen:;w    :    •s"'"''^""'^^'''^'^ 

'^-     ^o  wben  enemies 


Raggyliig 


re  smooth 
that  ever 
thorou^h- 
ivcd  only 

"ip  vvere 
l^ors  vvere 
■re  dead, 
lived  to- 
training 

i^f^  g-ave 
thing-  he 

?.'     His 

the  wis- 

lesson  ; 

t  made 

freeze.' 
taught 

Jrning- 
near, 
d  Cot- 
inove- 
)f  the 
catch 
Jmies 


83 


chance  together,  the    one  who  first   sees   the 
other  can    keep   himself  nnsccn   by  '/rcczin<r' 
and  thus  have  all  the  advantage  of  choosing 
the  time  for  attack  or  escape.     Only  those  who 
live  in  the  woods  know  the  importance  of  this  • 
every  wild   creature   and    every    hunter  must 
learn  it ;  all  learn  to  do  it  well,  but  not  one  of 
them  can  beat  Molly  Cottontail  in  the  doinc. 
Rag  s  mother  taught  him  this  trick  by  exan'^- 
pie.     When  the  white  cotton  cushion   that  she 
always    carried  to  sit  on  went  bobbing  awav 
through    the    woods,    of   course    Rag   ran    his 
hardest  to  keep  up.     But  when  Molly  stopped 
and  'froze,'  the  natural  wish  to  copy  made  him 
do  the  same. 

But  the  best  lesson  of  all  that  Rag  learned 
from  his  mother  was  the  secret  of  the  Brier- 
brush.  It  is  a  very  old  secret  now,  and  to  make 
It  plain  you  must  first  hear  why  the  Brierbrush 
quarrelled  with  the  beasts. 

Long  ago  the  Roses  used  to  gro7v  on  hushes  that  had 
no  thorns.  But  the  Scjuirrels  and  Mice  used  to  elhnb 
after  them,  the  cattle  used  to  knock  them  off  with  their 
horns,  the  Possum  luouhi  tiuitch  them  off  with  his  lon^r 
tail,  and  the  Deer,  with  his  sharp  hoofs,  would  break 
them  do7m.  So  the  Brierbrush  armed  itself  with  spikes 
toJ>rotect  its  roses  and  declared  eternal  laar  on  all  creat- 


!ll 


'41 


ffl 


84 


IJ     k 


P  ' 


^^W^iig 


So    the   secret   tint    R.      , 

mother    ^vas,   •  The   BrS,,  T""""'^   ''"°'"   ^is 
fnend.'  "ntrbrush   is   your    best 

Much  of  the  time  thnt 
learning  the  lay  of  the'  h  ^'"°"   '"•'"  ''P^"'  '" 
•■•"d   brier  ma.es.     And   R    '  '";"''  ""^  '^'-^"'ble 
'^-»  that  he  could  ..o  .1,  f  ^  '!''""""^  'hem  so 
two  different  ways  ind         """''  "'"^  ^>^=""P  by 

^^;-.s  at  any  piaj^frn^rfi  '^r"'-^'^ 

it  IS  not  long,  since  fN     r  ^"^^  ''^P^- 

-•'^  -e  ^^  '-  -  Of  the  Cotton- 
"^--ought  a  new  kind  of  1  m  '""  '^'''"  ''"''d 
■"  '-g  lines  throullltT  '''"^  P'-ted  it 
■^°  =fong  that  no  „"  '  '°""''^-  ''  -'-"^ 
^'°-".  and  so  sharp  th.t  t r^'  '"""  ''"^''"'  " 
"""^  by  it.     ,.ach  ye  r  the       ""^""■^'  ^''■■"  -as 

-ch  year  it  becam'e  a  Zl  ""• """  "^ '''  ^'^ 

'"°'-e  senous  matter  to 


hoofs,  or  long 
^ith  none  but 
ornless,  hoof- 

a  Briettose, 
ook  the  Rab- 
s  are  threat- 
'hrush,  cer- 
oid poisoned 


from   his 
^ur    best 

spent  in 
bramble 
them  so 
amp  by 
'nendly 
>ps. 

-otton- 
m   had 
nted  It 
it  was 
eak   \t 
n  was 
^t  and 
ter  to 


^^SO'^ifg 


85 


the  wild  creatures.  But  Molly  Cottontail  had 
no  fear  of  it.  She  was  not  brought  up  in  the 
bners  for  nothing.  Dogs  and  foxes,  cattle  and 
sheep  and  even  man  himself  might  be  torn  by 
those  fearful  spikes:  but  Molly  understands  it 
and  lives  and  thrives  under  it.  And  the  fur- 
ther it  spreads  the  more  safe  country  there  is 
for  the  Cottontail.  And  the  name  of  this  new 
and  dreaded  bramble  i^~t he  barbcd-zvire  fence, 

III 

Molly  had  no  other  children  to  look  after 
now,  so  Rag  had  all  her  care.  He  was  unusu- 
ally quick  and  bright  as  well  as  strong,  and  he 
had  uncommonly  good  chances;  so  he  got  on 
remarkably  well. 

AH  the  season  she  kept  him  busy  learning  the 
tricks  of  the  trail,  and  what  to  Jat  and  drink 
and  what  not  to  touch.  Day  by  day  she 
worked  to  train  him ;  little  by  little  she  taught 
him,  putting  into  his  mind  hundreds  of  ideas 
that  her  own  life  or  early  training  had  stored 
in  hers,  and  so  equipped  him  with  the  knowl- 
edge  that  makes  life  possible  to  their  kind 

Close  by  her  side  in  the  clover-field  or  the 
thicket  he  would  sit  and  copy  her  when  she 
wobbled  her  nose  '  to  keep  her  smeller  clear ' 


86 


1^ 


^"m'fiis 


and  pull  the  (,,tc  fmn,   i 

''•|«  'o  make  sure  I  e"'      '''  '""""'  "''  ''''"'  ''<='" 
°f  'odder.     Still   CO,   ..'f''''"?'"' ■""" '''•-' 
comb  his  ears  with  'm    1,  -T'  ''^   '— '   •<> 
coat  and  to  bite  the  b,  rr   o  ,t     f  .""  ''""''  '"'^ 
socks.     He  learned  too  H   ?  '"'  ^"t  and 

dcwdrops  from    h    bHer  '"      """"■"^'  *""  ^'ear 
'"  ^'""k,  as  water  vh^rhr"  ''  '"'  "  '''^»' 

^•-"■•1.  ..n.st  surely  be'  "'"'  '"'"''"'  "^e 

k«  ■  "^t.iy  Dear  sonic  fm'nf      ^M 

began  the  .tudy  of  woodera  t  t  ,n     >  ,        "  ''^ 
sciences.  ""ciait,  the  oldest  of  all 

As  soon  as  Rasr  wn^  h; 
a'one,  his  mother  h2t  1^  "T"^^  '°  ^o  out 

«-'bb.-ts  telegraph  So:::ttr-^'-^<=- 

the  ground  with  their  hi  d  VV""'""^^  °n 
pound  sound  carries  fj.  ,^'  ^'°"^  "'e 
feet  from  the  earth  is  not  V       ,      '^  "'''''  •■"  ^ix 

-■'v--''-,ri::rbr-TT'^-"'* 

hundred  yards.     Rabbits  i  '  ''''''^'  one 

'"S.  and  so  might   he  ;    h"  "'''  '^'="  '^-■•■- 
two  hundred  yards  and  fh   .      '''"""   "'""'P   '-" 
;-^   'o  end   o'f   01.:,.^  t;::'^'  -ch  fro. 
'/«»/  means  'look  out'  or     f     "^^      "^   '"'^'^ 
;;;-«/ ^W^  means- cone.     A  fS:;-     ^  ^'°'^ 
//«»«.  means  '  rt,n  for  dear  1,7   •  "^  ""'"'i' 


J^ajiQ^yliig 


>'■  taste  licr 
^^anie  kind 
learned   to 
^  <^'^css  his 
^  vest  and 

■  but  clear 

■  a  rabbit 
idled  the 
I'hus  he 

est  of  ail 

^  SO  out 
'il  code, 
iping-  on 

o"S"  the 
It  at  six 

y  yards 
^st  one 
n  heai-- 
'mp  at 
h  from 
single 
^  slow 
thump 
thiiinp 

s  fine 
ihem- 


87 


selves,  a  sure  sign  that  no  dangerous  foe  was 
about,   Rag   began   a   new   study.     Molly    by 
flattening   her  ears,   gave   the   sign   to  squat. 
1  hen  she  ran  far  away  in  the  thicket  and  gave 
the  thumping  signal  for  '  come.'     Rag  set  out 
at  a  run  to  the  place  out  could  not  find  Molly 
He  thumped,  but  got  no  reply.     Setting  care- 
fully  about  his  search  he  found  her  foot-scent 
and  following  this  strange  guide,  that  the  beasts 
all  know  so  well  and  man  does  not  know  at  all 
he  worked  out  the  trail  and  found  her  where 
she  was  hidden.     Thus  he  got  his  first  lesson  in 
traihng,  and  thus  it  was  that  the  games  of  hide 
and  seek  they  played  became  the  schooling  for 
the  serious  chase  of  which  there  was  so  much 
in  his  after-life. 

Before  that  first  season  of  schooling  was  over 
he  had  learnt  all  the  principal  tricks  by  which 
a  rabbit  lives,  and  in  not  a  few  problems  showed 
himself  a  veritable  genius. 

He  was  an  adept  at  'tree,'  'dodge,'  and 
'  squat;'  he  could  play  '  log-lump  '  with  '  wind  ' 
and  'baulk-  with  '  back-track  '  so  well  that  he 
scarcely  needed  any  other  tricks.  He  had  not 
yet  tried  it,  but  he  knew  just  how  to  play 
'barb-wire,'  which  is  a  new  trick  of  the  brill- 
lant  order;  he  had  made  a  special  study  of 
'sand,' which   burns  up  all  scent,  and   he  was 


i, 


88 


^'IW^ftjT 


I 


w 


tlccjily    versed    in    •  cln.i,r^  „fr  •    .c 

'''''''l>'^^■as^vcll„sMi^.   t-     I    "^^^^    """ 
reqnirin,.  |.,„,,er  notice  -      'v'',''''  '''  ''  ''''^'^ 

always  safe.  -^       ^   ^"^^^   's 

For  ha.l^^:lt:eV"'.'"''"'"^"  '''='"• 
weasels,   cats    sk„nt.  '  """''«• 

have  a  c,i,,e;.e','„~'  •''''''.  '"^•"•--•' 
--■  and  all  „f  t  '  ;;.,"-'"'-  ••->  'or 
a  remedy.  ""    '"=    "'^s  taught 

;""t'.c^a„dt,.en^:if;j;;"?;^'-^ 

ecj^  the  blueja,.  warnin,;'  s!:!^-  U^" ;::i 

1  d  h :'  ';;^:^"^•'"•'=  r^'  -  ■•'  -  -n  to 

you  c-,n  t"ust  ''"°''P<='^ker  cries  a  warning 

teT:!:i  es'  srei?""^'''  '^!  '^-^^>•  ^■ 

''■•-vhenhebri:S;;lC"^"^'^'°'^"'=^^ 
oi  legs.     It  was  long  before  Rag 


Rag^ylng 


89 


t"'»cc,'  and 
JJ^  a  trick 
never  for- 

o^  all  wis. 

'k   that   is 

'  to  know 
^5f1e  them. 
*«,  minks, 
J^*".  each 
and  for 
s   taught 

ipproach 
and  his 

vcr  neg. 

;  "  he  is 

;f  all  the 

^^ouldn't 

s  to  the 
well  to 

varning 

s  a  fool 

ejay  of. 

beh'eve 

nerve 
e  Rag 


ventured  to  play  it.  but  as  he  cnmc  to  his  full 
powers  It  became  one  of  his  favorites. 

'•It's  fine  play  for  those  who  can  do  it,"  said 
Molly.  ''First  you  lead  off  your  dog  on  a 
straightaway  and  warm  him  up  a  bit  by  nearly 
cttmg  him  catch  you.  Then  keeping  just  one 
hop  ahead,  you  lead  him  at  a  long  slant  full  tilt 
into  a  breast-high  barb-wire.  IVc  seen  many  a 
dog  and  fox  crippled,  and  one  big  hound  killed 
outright  this  way.  But  I've  also  seen  more 
than  one  rabbit  lose  his  life  in  trying  it  ' 

Rag  early  karnt  what  some  rabbis  never 
learn  at  all.  that  '  hole-up '  is  not  such  a  fine 
ruse  as  it  seems ;  it  may  be  the  certain  safety  of 
a  wise  rabbit,  but  soon  or  late  is  a  sure  death- 
trap to  a  fool.  A  young  rabbit  always  thinks 
of  It  first,  an  old  rabbit  never  tries  it  till  all 
others  fail.  It  means  escape  from  a  man  or 
dog,  a  fox  or  a  bird  of  prey,  but  it  means  sud- 
den  death  if  the  foe  is  a  ferret,  mink,  skunk  or 
weasel. 

There  were  but  two  ground-holes  in  the 
Swamp.  One  on  the  Sunning  Bank,  which 
was  a  dry  sheltered  knoll  in  the  South-end.  it 
was  open  and  sloping  to  the  sun.  and  here  on 
fine  days  the  Cottontails  took  their  sunbaths. 
They  stretched  out  among  the  fragrant  pine 
needles  and  winter-green  in  odd.  cat-like  posi- 


i 


90 


^<-tggylu^ 


^g 


A  \ 


m\ 


t'ons,  and  turned  slowly  over  n.  .1,^      u 
■•ng  and  wishing  all  side^well  H  f    '"'''''• 

blinked    and    panted     '  I  /""  '^'^ 

dreadful  nmn^.T,:-  ^'5"'™<=d  as  if  in 

aim  pain,  ^et  this  was  one  of  the  keenest 
enjoyments  they  knew  Keenest 

uciy  waited  to  qiiarre    with  Olffnnfo 

taifwa   able  /oTa?'  '"'  "  '''''  '''°"^  C°«-- 
hour  lat^,  ^'  P°'^'^^-°"  °f  the  den  an 

coonA;ren^;T::,;  st^;-;^^'-"-^  very 
who  with  less  vlior  n  '  ut  '°""^  ^'^""'^• 
■ongevity,  for  he  im    ted  Z?""''  '"'''''' 


lOiJgh  roast- 
And  they 
2d   as   if  in 
the  keenest 

vas  a  large 
'ggled  out 
ag-ons,  and 
old  wood- 
Je  became 
5  went  by, 
;  Olffant's 
y  Cotton- 
le  den  an 

'^ird  very 
ig  skunk, 
J  greater 
nan  with 
keeping 
fore,  his 
ing,  was 

1  thicket 
d  damp, 
ilso  was 
leaning, 
young. 


Raggyhcg  g , 

ster  whose  skin  in  the  form  of  a  whip-lash  was 
now  developing  higher  horse-power  in  the  Oli- 
fant  working  team. 

"  Simple  justice,"  said  the  old  man,  "for  that 
hide  was  raised  on  stolen  feed  that  the  team 
would  a'  turned  into  horse-power  anyway." 

The  Cottontails  were  now  sole  owners  of  the 
holes,  and  did  not  go  near  them  when  they 
could  help  it,  lest  anyihing  like  a  path  should 
be  made  that  might  betray  these  last  retreats 
to  an  enemy. 

There  was  also  the  hollow  hickory,  which, 
though  nearly  fallen,  was  still  green,  and  had 
the  great  advantage  of  being  open  at  both  ends. 
This  had  long  been  the  residence  of  one  Lotor, 
a  solitary  old  coon  whose  ostensible  calling  was 
frog-hunting,  and  who,  like  the  monks  of  old, 
was  supposed  to  abstain  from  all  flesh  food.' 
But  it  was  shrewdly  suspected  that  he  needed 
but  a  chance  to  indulge  in  a  diet  of  rabbit. 
When  at  last   one   dark  night   he  was  killed 
while  raiding  Olifant's  hen-house,  Molly,  so  far 
from  feeling  a  pang  ot  regret,  t.iok  possession 
of   his  cosy  nest  with  a  sense  of    unbounded 
relief. 


I' 

I? 


92 


Raggylug 


H 


IV 

Bright  August  sunlight  was  flooding  the 
Swamp  ,„  the  morning.  Everything  seemed 
soakmg  .n  the  warm  radiance.  A  litL  brown 
swamp-sparrow  was  teetering  on  a  long  rush  in 
the  pond.     Beneath  him  there  were  open  spaces 

of  the  blue  sicy,  and  worked  it  and  the  yellow 
duckweed  mto  an  exquisite  mosaic,  with  a  little 
wrong.s,de  picture  of  the  bird  in  the  middle. 
On  the  bank  behind  was  a  great  vigorous 
growth  of  golden  green  skunk  cabbage  ha 
cast  a  dense  shadow  over  the  hrown 
tussocks.  °'™  '"'^"P 

The  eyes  of  the  swampsparrow  were  not 
tramed  to  take  in  the  color  glories,  but  he  saw 
wha  we  m.ght  have  missed ;  that  two  of  thi 
"umberiess  leafy  brown  bumps  under  the 
broad  cabbage-leaves  were  furry,  living  things 
wuh  noses  that  never  ceased  to  move  up  afd 
down  whatever  else  was  still. 

under.\''°"/  '?'  ^''^-    '■''''y  ^•'^^  ^'■■etched 
under  the   skunk-cabbage.  not    because  they 

hked  ,ts  rank  smell,  but  because  the  winged  ticks 

could  not  stand  it  at  all  and  so  left  them  fn  peace 

Rabbits  have  no  set  time  for  lessons,  they 

are  always  learning;  but  what  the  lesson  is  de- 


I 


Raggylug 


93 


ii 


\i\ 


>ding    the 
g:  seemed 
tie  brown 
»g  rush  in 
en  spaces 
;w  scraps 
le  yellow 
th  a  little 
!  middle, 
vigorous 
ge,  that 
»  swamp 

^ere  not 

■  he  saw 
)  of  the 
ier    the 

■  things, 
up  and 

retched 
e  they 
?d  ticks 
peace. 
s,  they 
1  is  de- 


pends on  the  present  stress,  and  that  must  ar- 
rive before  it  is  known.  They  went  to  this 
place  for  a  quiet  rest,  but  had  not  been  long 
there  when  suddenly  a  warning  note  from  the 
ever-watchful  bluejay  caused  Molly's  nose  and 
ears  to  go  up  and  her  tail  to  tighten  to  her 
back.  Away  across  the  Swamp  was  Olifant's 
big  black  and  white  dog,  coming  straight 
toward  them. 

"Now,"  said  Molly,  "squat  while  I  go  and 
keep  that  fool  out  of  mischief."  Away  she 
went  to  meet  him  and  she  fearlessly  dashed 
across  the  dog's  path. 

"Bow-ow-ow,"  he  fairly  yelled  as  he  bounded 
after  Molly,  but  she  kept  just  beyond  his  reach 
and  led  him  where  the  million  daggers  struck 
fast  and  deep,  till  his  tender  ears  were  scratched 
raw,  and  guided  him  at  last  plump  into  a  hid- 
den barbed-wire  fence,  where  he  got  such  a 
gashing  that  he  went  homeward  howling  with 
pain.  After  making  a  short  double,  a  loop  and 
a  baulk  in  case  the  dog  should  come  back, 
Molly  returned  to  find  that  Rag  in  his  eager- 
ness was  standing  boU  upright  and  craning  his 
neck  to  see  the  sport. 

This  disobedience  made  her  so  angry  that 
she  struck  him  with  her  hind  foot  and  knocked 
him  over  in  the  mud. 


J'i 


Fill 

ill 


;;i 


94 


Raggylug 


h'm  and  skipped  into  th     ^L:^  '""  ° 
tl'cirold  |,athways,  where  of  nn  f  "' 

could  not  follow  Itt's  thl  r"''  ':  '''"'"' 
the  Crcckside  Thicket  o  the  s"  '•'■"''  '™'" 
pile.  Several  creepers  h.^  ^'"^■^-l"'"-'  ^'"'^■ 
and  Molly  keenirr.  ^''■'""'  '"'''''  ■'• 

t"  work  aid  au     :  '''  ""  "'^  '■■''^^'^>  ^^^ 

'.er,  then ;:',':  re^Txr!  'f •  ^^•'•^'  ^^-•^'-■'^ 

were  across  the  pTt  '  !  t,!  f';""  7"':^' ''-' 
Mo-ly.  .-always  uL,  the  rln  . VS;'  ^^^^^ 
-need, hen,  often  e„„.,h.  Not  S,C 
cieai.     Cut  every th  no-  1,'^^  ^   ^_^^  '  """^ 

then  and  so.e  dly  yot  win  L"TL::'Z 
a  snare.   "A  what?  "asked  Rno-  .    i  ^ 

Hyi..u  ear  With  hisiais::,:'^--^^^'^ 

A    snare   is    somethino-   thnt   M^i      i-i 
o-eeper,  but  it  doesn't  grow   J   i,      '"''  " 
t  an  all  the  hawks  in  tht-  l-,  "  s    ,  JT 

•^''^^G  It  hides  nio-ht  and  dnv  i.,  fi 

the  chance  to  catch  y:':^;.""""^^^"" 
"I  don't   believe   it   could  catch    me  "  siid 

a  smooth  sapling.     Ra-  did  nnf  L         \^ 

to      ^vcij,  am  not  know  he  was 


Ra^y^irylug 


95 


clover  field 
after  them. 
»ake  fun  of 
3ng-  one  of 
i  the  hawk 
path  from 
^i])c  brush- 
across  it, 
'^awk,  set 
^  watched 
more  that 
r'lt,"   said 
•'ear,  you 
wide,  but 
21*  across 
have  cut 
cratched 

s  like  a 
s  worse 
1  Molly, 
il  "for 
way  till 

e,"  said 

on  his 

up  on 
he  was 


doing  this,  Init  his  mother  saw  and  knew  it  was 
a  sign,  like  the  changing  of  a  boy's  voice,  that 
her  little  one  was  no  longer  a  baby  but  would 
soon  be  a  grown-up  Cottontail. 


There  is  magic  in  running  water.  Who 
does  not  know  it  and  feel  it?  The  railroad 
builder  fearlessly  throws  his  bank  across  the 
wide  bog  or  lake,  or  the  sea  itself,  but  the 
tiniest  rill  of  running  water  he  treats  with 
great  respect,  studies  its  wish  and  its  way  and 
gives  it  all  it  seems  to  ask.  The  thirst-parched 
traveller  in  the  poisonous  alkali  deserts  holds 
back  in  deadly  fear  from  the  sedgy  ponds  till 
he  finds  one  down  whose  centre  is  a  thin,  clear 
line,  and  a  faint  flow,  the  sign  of  running,  living 
water,  and  joyfully  he  drinks. 

There  is  magic  in  running  water,  no  evil 
spell  can  cross  it.  Tam  O'Shanter  proved  its 
potency  in  time  of  sorest  need.  The  wild- 
wood  creature  with  its  deadly  foe  following 
tireless  on  the  trail  scent,  realizes  its  nearing 
doom  and  feels  an  awful  spell.  Its  strength  is 
spent,  its  every  trick  is  tried  in  vain  till  the 
good  Angel  leads  it  to  the  water,  the  running, 
living  water,  and  dashing  in  it  follows  the  cool- 


It 


If 


m 


96 


Raggylug 


ing  stream,  and  then  with  force  renewed  takes 
to  the  woods  again. 

There  is  magic  in  running  water.  The 
hounds  come  to  the  very  spot  and  halt  and 
cas  about ;  and  halt  and  cast  in  vain.  Their 
spdl,s  broken  by  the  merry  stream,  and  the 
wild  thmg  lives  its  life. 

And  this  was  one  of  the  great  secrets  that 
Kaggylug  learned  from  his  mother-"  after  the 
Brierrose,  the  Water  is  your  friend." 

One  hot,  muggy  night  in  August,  Molly  led 
Rag   through   the   woods.     The  cotton- white 
cushion  she  wore  under  her  tail  twinkled  ahead 
and  was  his  guiding  lantern,  though  it  went  out 
as  soon  as  she  stopped  and  sat  on  it.    After  a 
few  runs  and  stops  to  listen,  they  came  to  the 
edge  of  the  pond.    The  hylas  in  the  trees  above 
them  were  singing  '  sleep,  sleep,'  and  away  out 
on  a  sunken  log  in  the  deep  water,  up  to  his 
chin  in  the  cooling  bath,  a  bloated  bullfrog  was 
singing  the  praises  of  a  'Jug  o'  rum  ' 

"Follow  me  still,"  said  Molly,  in  rabbit, 
and  flop  she  went  into  the  pond  and  struck 
out  for  the  sunken  log  in  the  middle.  Rag 
flmched  but  plunged  with  a  little  '  ouch  ■ 
gasping  and  wobbling  his  nose  very  fast  but 
still  copying  his  mother.  The  same  move- 
ments as  on  land  sent  him  through  the  water 


Raggylug  CI  7 

and  thus  he  found  he  could  swim.     On  he  went 

till  he  reached  the  sunken  log  and  scrambled 

up  by  his  dripping  mother  on  the  high  dry  end, 

with  a  rushy  screen  around  them  and  the  Water 

that  tells  no  tales.     After  this  in  warm,  black 

nights,  when  that  old  fox  from  Springfield  came 

prowling  through  the  Swamp,  Rag  would  note 

the  place  of  the  bullfrog's  voice,  for  in  case  of 

direst  need  it  might  be  a  guide  to  safety.    And 

thenceforth  the   words  of  the   song   that  the 

bullfrog  sang  were, '  Come,  come,  in  danger  come: 

This  was  the  latest  study  that  Rag  took  up 

with  his  mother— it  was  really  a  post-graduate 

course,  for  many  little  rabbits  never  learn  it  at 

all. 

VI 

No  wild  animal  dies  of  old  age.  Its  life  has 
soon  or  late  a  tragic  end.  It  is  only  a  question 
of  how  long  it  can  hold  out  against  its  foes. 
But  Rag's  life  was  proof  that  once  a  rabbit 
passes  out  of  his  youth  he  is  likely  to  outlive 
his  prime  and  be  killed  only  in  the  last  third  of 
life,  the  downhill  third  we  call  old  age. 

The  Cottontails  had  enemies  on  every  side. 
Their  daily  life  was  a  series  of  escapes.  For 
dogs,  foxes,  cats,  skunks,  coons,  weasels,  minks, 
snakes,  hawks,  owls,  and  men,  and  even  insects 


I 


r-  i 


% 


i; 


9^ 


Raggylug 


were  all  plotting  to  kill  them.  They  had  hun. 
dreds  of  adventures,  and  at  least  once  a  day 
they  had  to  fly  for  their  lives  and  save  them- 
selves by  their  lec,rs  and  wits. 

More  than  once  that  hateful  fox  from  Spring- 
field drove  them  to  taking  refuge  under  the 
wreck  of  a  barbed-wire  hog-pen  by  the  spring. 
But  once  there  they  could  look  calmly  at  him 
while  he  spiked  his  legs  in  vain  attempts  to 
reach  them. 

Once  or  twice  Rag  when  hunted  had  played 
off  the  hound  against  a  skunk  that  had  seemed 
likely  to  be  quite  as  dangerous  as  the  dog. 

Once  he  was  caught  alive  by  a  hunter  who 
had  a  hound  and  a  ferret  to  help  him.  But 
Rag  had  the  luck  to  escape  next  day,  with  a 
yet  deeper  distrust  of  ground  holes.  He  was 
several  times  run  into  the  water  by  the  cat,  and 
many  times  was  chased  by  hawks  and  owls,  but 
for  each  kind  of  danger  there  was  a  safeguard. 
His  mother  taught  him  the  principal  dodges, 
and  he  improved  on  them  and  made  many  new 
ones  as  he  grew  older.  And  the  older  and  wiser 
he  grew  the  less  he  trusted  to  his  legs,  and  the 
more  to  his  wits  for  safety. 

Ranger  was  the  name  of  a  young  hound  in 
the  neighborhood.  To  train  him  his  master 
used  to  put  him  on  the  trail  of  one  of  the  Cot- 


^(^gsyi^K^-  99 

tontails.  It  was  nearly  always  Rag  that  they 
ran,  for  the  young  buck  enjoyed  the  runs  as 
much  as  they  did,  the  spice  of  danger  in  them 
being  just  enough  for  zest.     He  would  say  : 

"  Oh,  mother !  here  comes  the  dog  again,  I 
must  have  a  run  to-day." 

"  You  are  too  bold,  Raggy,  my  son  !  "  she 
might  reply.  -  I  fear  you  will  run  once  too 
often." 

"  But,  mother,  it  is  such  glorious  fun  to  tease 
that  fool  dog,  and  it's  all  good  training.  I'll 
thump  if  I  am  too  hard  pressed,  then  you  can 
come  and  change  off  while  I  get  my  second 
wind." 

On  he  would  come,  and  Ranger  would  take 
the  trail  and  follow  till  Rag  got  tired  of  it. 
Then  he  either  sent  a  thumping  telegram  for 
help,  which  brought  Molly  to  take  charge  of 
the  dog,  or  he  got  rid  of  the  dog  by  some  clever 
trick.  A  description  of  one  of  these  shows  how 
well  Rag  had  learned  the  arts  of  the  woods. 

He  knew  that  his  scent  lay  best  near  the 
ground,  and  was  strongest  when  he  was  warm. 
So  if  he  could  get  off  the  ground,  and  be  left 
in  peace  for  half  an  hour  to  cool  off,  and  for  the 
trail  to  stale,  he  knew  he  would  be  safe.  When, 
therefore,  he  tired  of  the  chase,  he  made  for 
the  Creekside  brier-patch,  where  he  '  wound  ' 


#1 


if 


ii 

Si' 


I' 


lOO 


Raggylug 


m 


—that  .s,  zigznggcd— till  he  left  a  course  so 
cnjoked  that  the  dog  was  sure  to  be  greatly 
delayed  in  working  it  out.  He  then  went 
straight  to  D  in  the  woods,  passing  one  hop  to 
windward  of  the  higL  log  E.  Stopping  at  D,  he 
followed  his  back  trail  to  F,  here  he  leaped 
aside  and  ran  toward  G.  Then,  returning  on 
his  trail  to  J,  he  waited  till  the  hound  passed  on 
his  trail  at  I.    Rag  then  got  back  on  his  old 


A 


/ 


A.....  •■.■••..    ..V    ..       >l         .' 

s  ■■•^■:. -'  /<■]  /  >  ..^"  •> 

\       \  •••• ■   (  '  /  ,-. -'^'    /  ^ 


I 


H  •■ 


t..':1r 


\ 


\ 


\« 


i^ 


trail  at  H,  and  followed  it  to  E,  where,  with  a 
scent-baulk  or  great  leap  aside,  he  reached  the 
high  log,  and  running  to  its  higher  end,  he  sat 
like  a  bump. 

Ranger  lost  much  time  in  the  bramble  maize, 
and  the  scent  was  very  poor  when  he  got  it 
straightened  out  and  came  to  D.  Here  he  began 
to  circle  to  pick  it  up,  and  after  losing  much 
time,  struck  the  trail  which  ended  suddenly  at 


Raggyhig 


lOI 


G.  Again  he  was  at  fault,  and  had  to  circle  to 
find  the  trail.  Wider  and  wider  the  circles, 
until  at  last,  he  passed  right  under  the  log  Rag 
was  on.  But  a  cold  scent,  on  a  cold  day,  does 
not  go  downward  much.  Rag  never  budged 
nor  winked,  and  the  hound  passed. 

Again  the  dog  came  round.  This  time  he 
crossed  the  low  part  of  the  log,  and  stopped  to 
smell  it.  •  Yes,  clearly  it  was  rabbity,'  but  it 
was  a  stale  scent  now  ;  still  he  mounted  the  log. 

It  was  a  trying  moment  for  Rag,  as  the  great 
hound  came  sniff-sniffing  along  the  log.  But 
his  nerve  did  not  forsake  him  ;  the  wind  was 
right;  he  had  his  mind  made  up  to  bolt  as 
soon  as  Ranger  came  half  way  up.  But  he 
didn't  come.  A  yellow  cur  would  have  seen 
the  rabbit  sitting  there,  but  the  hound  did  not, 
and  the  scent  seemed  stale,  so  he  leaped  off  the 
log,  and  Rag  had  won. 


VII 


Rag  had  never  seen  any  other  rabbit  than 
his  mother.  Indeed  he  had  scarcely  thought 
about  there  being  any  other.  He  was  more 
and  more  away  from  her  now,  and  yet  he  never 
felt  lonely,  for  rabbits  do  not  hanker  for  com- 


I02 


R 


^ac 


^gylujr 


'  i 


ill! 


pany.     But  one  day  i„  December,  while  he  was 
•""ons  the  red  dogwood  brush,  cutting  a  new 
I'='<l'  to  the  great  Creekside  thicket,  he  saw  all 
at  once  against  the  sky  over  the  Su.niing  Iia„k 
the  head  and  cars  of  a  strange   rabbit.     The 
new-comer  had  the  air  of  a  well-pieasecl  <liscov. 
crer  and  soon  came  hopping  Kag's  way  along 
one  of  /„.  paths  into  /.„  Swan,p.     A  ^L  ij. 
-ns  rushe,!  over  him,  that  boiling  mixture  of 
anger  and  hatred  called  jealousy. 

The  stranger  stopped  at  one  of  Rag's  rub 
b,ng-trees-that  is,  a  tree  against  which  he  used 
to  stand  on  his  heels  and  rub  his  chin  as  far  up 
as  he  could   reach.     He  thought   he  did   this 
snnply  because  he  liked  it;  but  all  buck-rabbits 
do  so,  and  several  ends  are  served.     It  makes 
the   tree  rabbity,   so  that  other  rabbits  know 
that  this  swamp  already  belongs  to  a   rabbit 
family  and  is  not  open  for  settlement.     It  also 
■ets  the  next  one  know  by  the  scent  if  the  last 
caller  was  an  acquaintance,  and  the  height  from 
the  ground  of  the  rubbing-places  shows  how 
tall  the  rabbit  is. 

Now  to  his  disgust  Rag  noticed  that  the  new- 
comer was  a  head  taller  .  h.u.  himself,  and  a  bi<. 
stout  buck  at  that.     This  was  a  wholly  new  ex- 
periencc  and  filled  Rag  with  a  wholly  new  feel- 
ing.    The  spirit  of  murder  entered  his  heart- 


Raggylitg 


103 


he  chewed  very  hard  with  nothing  in  his  nioutli, 
and  liopping  forward  onto  a  smooth  piece  of 
hard  gioiiiid  he  struck  slowly: 

*  Thump— thump— thump;    which    is  a    rabbit 
telegram  for  '  Get  out  of  my  swamp,  or  hght.' 
The  new-comer  made  a  big  V  with  his  ears, 
sat  upright  for  a  few  seconds,  then,  dropping 
on  his  fore-feet,  sent  along  the  ground  a  louder, 
stronger,  '  Thump—thump—thitmp: 
And  so  war  was  declared. 
They  came  together  by  short  runs  sidewise, 
each  one  trying  to  get  the  wind  of  the  other 
and   watching  for  a  chance    advantage.      The 
stranger  was  a  big,  heavy  buck  with  plenty  of 
muscle,  but  one  or  two  triHes  such  as  treading 
on  a  turnover  and  failing  to  close  when  Rag 
was  on  low  ground   showed  that  he   had  not 
much    cunning   and    counted    on    winning    his 
battles  by  his  weight.     On  he  came  at  last  and 
Rag  met  him  like  a  little  fury.     As  they  came 
together  they  leaped  up  and  struck  out  with 
their  hind  feet.      Thud,  thud  they  came,  and 
down  went  poor  little  Rag.     In  a  moment  the 
stranger  was  on  him  with   his  teeth  and   Rag 
was  bitten,  and  lost  several  tufts  of  hair  before 
he  could  get  up.     But  he  was  swift  of  foot  and 
got  out  of  reach.     Again  he  charged  and  again 
he  was  knocked   down    and    bitten   severely. 


m 


104 


H( 


Raggylug 


le  was  no  match  for  his  foe,  and  it  soon  be- 
came a  question  of  saving  his  own  hfe. 

Murt  as  he  was  he  sprang  away,  with  the 
stranger  in  full  chase,  and  bound  to  kill  him  as 
well  as  to  oust  him  from  the  Swamp  where  he 
was  born.     Rag's  legs  were  good  and  so  wa3 
Ills  wmd.     The  stranger  was  big  and  so  heavy 
that  he  soon  gave  up  the  chase,  and  it  was  well 
for  poor  Rag  that  he  did,  for  he  was  gettim^ 
stiff  from  his  wounds  as  well  as  tired.     From 
that  day  began  a  reign  of  terror  for  Rag      His 
training  had  been  against  owls,  dogs,  weasels 
men,  and  so  on,  but  what  to  do  when  chased 
by  another  rabbit,  he  did  not  know.     All  he 
knew  was  to  lay  low  till  he  was  found,  then 
run. 

Poor  little  Molly  was  completely  terrorized  • 
she  could  not  help  Rag  and  sought  only  to 
hide.     But  the  big  buck  soon  found  her  out 
She  tned  to  run  from  him,  but  she  was  not 
now  so  swift  as  Rag.     The  stranger  made  no 
attempt  to  kill  her,  but  he  made  love  to  her 
and  because  she  hated   him  and  tried  to  o-et 
away,  he  treated  her  shamelully.      Day  after 
day  he  worried  her  by  following  her  about 
and  often,  furious   at   her  lasting  hatred,   he 
would  knock  her  down  and  tear  out  mouthfuls 
of  her  soft  fur  till  his  rage  cooled  somewhat 


Raggylug  jQ^ 

when  he  would  let  her  go  for  awhile.     But  his 
fixed  purpose  was  to  kill  Rag,  whose  escape 
seemed  hopeless.     There  was  no  other  swamp 
he  could  go  to,  and  whenever  he  took  a  nap 
now  he  had  to  be  ready  at  any  moment  to  dash 
for  his   life.     A   dozen   times  a  day   the   big 
stranger  came  creeping  up  to  where  he  slept 
but  each  time  the  watchful  Rag  awoke  in  time 
to  escape.     To  escape  yet  not  to  escape.     He 
saved  his  life  indeed,  but  oh !  what  a  miserable 
life  It   had   become.     How   maddening  to   be 
thus  helpless,  to   see   his   little   mother  daily 
beaten  and  torn,  as  well  as  to  see  all  his  favor- 
ite  feeding-grounds,  the  cosey  nooks,  and  the 
pathways  he  had  made  with  so  much  labor 
forced  from  him  by  this  hateful  brute.      Un^ 
happy  Rag  realized  that  to  the  victor  belong 
the  spoils,  and  he  hated  him  more  than  ever 
he  did  fox  or  ferret. 

How  was  it  to  end?  He  was  wearing  out 
with  running  and  watching  and  bad  food,  and 
little  Molly's  strength  and  spirit  were  break- 
ing down  under  the  long  persecution.  The 
stranger  was  ready  to  go  to  all  lengths  to  de- 
stroy poor  Rag,  and  at  last  stooped  to  the 
worst  crime  known  among  rabbits.  However 
much  they  may  hate  each  other,  all  good  rab- 
bits  forget  their    feuds    when    their  common 


I  (' 


io6 


R 


'^&. 


ry^itg 


pffi 


if- 


i  1 


enemy  appears.  Yet  one  day  when  a  great 
j;oshawk  came  swooping  over  the  Swamp,  the 
stranger,  keeping  well  under  cover  himself, 
tried  again  and  again  to  drive  Rag  into  the 
open. 

Once  or  twice  the  hawk  nearly  had  him,  but 
still  the  briers  saved  him,  and  it  was  only  when 
the  big  buck  himself  came  near  being  caught 
that  he  gave  it  up.     And  again  Rag  escaped, 
but  was  no  better  off.     He  made  up  his  mind 
to  leave,  with  his  mother,  if  possible,  next  night 
and  go  into  the  world  in  quest  of  some  new 
home  when  he  heard  old  Thunder,  the  hound, 
sniffing  and  searching  about    the    outskirts  of 
the  swamp,  and  he  resolved  on  playing  a  des- 
perate   game.       He  deliberately    crossed   the 
hound's  view,  and  the  chase  that  then  began 
was   fast    and    furious.      Thrice    around    the 
Swamp  they  went  till  Rag  had  made  sure  that 
his  mother   was   hidden    safely  and   that  his 
hated   foe   was  in  his  usual  nest.     Then  right 
into  that  nest  and  plump  over  him  he  jumped, 
giving  him  a  rap   with  one  hind    foot  as  he 
passed  over  his  head. 

•*  You  miserable  fool,  I  kill  you  yet,"  cried 
the  stranger,  and  up  he  jumped  only  to  find 
himself  between  Rag  and  the  dog  and  heir  to 
all  the  peril  of  the  chase. 


Raggylug 


lO. 


On  came  the  hound  baying  hotly  on  the 
straight-away  scent.  The  buck's  weight  and 
size  were  great  advantages  in  a  rabbit  fight 
but  now  they  were  fatal.  He  did  not  know 
many  tricks.  Just  the  simple  ones  like'dou- 
ble,  '  wind,'  and  '  hole-up,'  that  every  baby 
Bunny  knows.  But  the  chase  was  too  close 
for  doubling  and  winding,  and  he  didn't  know 
where  the  holes  were. 

It  was  a  straight  race.  The  brier-rose,  kind 
to  all  rabbits  alike,  did  its  best,  but  it  was  no 
use.  The  baying  of  the  hound  was  fast  and 
steady.  The  crashing  of  the  brush  and  the 
yelping  of  the  hound  each  time  the  briers  tore 
his  tender  ears  were  borne  to  the  two  rabbits 
where  they  crouched  in  hiding.  But  suddenly 
these  sounds  stopped,  there  was  a  scuffle,  the- 
loud  and  terrible  screaming. 

Rag  knew  what  it  meant  and  it  sent  a  shiver 
through  him,  but  he  soon  forgot  that  when  all 
was  over  and  rejoiced  to  be  once  more  the 
master  of  the  dear  old  Swamp. 


VIII 


Old  Olifant  had  doubtless  a  right  to  burn  all 
those  brush-piles  in  the  cast  and  south  of  the 


6' 


io8 


Raggylug 


I 


Swamp  and  to  clear  up  the  wreck  of  the  old 
barbed-wire  hog-pen  just  below  the  spring. 
But  it  was  none  the  less  hard  on  Rag  and  his 
mother.  The  first  were  their  various  resi- 
dences and  outposts,  and  the  second  their 
grand  fastness  and  safe  retreat. 

They  had  so  long  held  the  Swamp  and  felt  it 
to  be  their  very  own  in  every  part  and  suburb 
—including  Olifant's  grounds  and  buildings— 
that  they  would  have  resented  the  appearance 
of  another  rabbit  even  about  the  adjoining 
barnyard. 

Their  claim,  that  of  long,  successful  occu- 
pancy, was  exactly  the  same  as  that  by  which 
most  nations  hold  their  land,  and  it  would  be 
hard  to  find  a  better  right. 

During  the  time  of  the  January  thaw  the 
Olifants  had  cut  the  rest  of  the  large  wood 
about  the  pond  and  curtailed  the  Cottontails' 
domain  on  all  sides.  But  they  still  clung  to 
the  dwindling  Swamp,  for  it  was  their  home 
and  they  were  loath  to  move  to  foreign 
parts.  Their  life  of  daily  perils  went  on,  but 
they  were  still  fleet  of  foot,  long  of  wind,  and 
bright  of  wit.  Of  late  they  had  been  some- 
what troubled  by  a  mink  that  had  wandered 
up-stream  to  their  quiet  nook.  A  little  judi- 
cious guidance  had  transferred  the  uncomfort- 


Raggylug 


109 


able  visitor  to  Olifant's  hen-house.  But  they 
were  not  yet  quite  sure  that  he  had  been 
properly  looked  after.  So  for  the  present 
they  gave  up  using  the  ground-holes,  which 
were,  of  course,  dangerous  blind-alleys,  and 
stuck  closer  than  ever  to  the  briers  and  the 
brush-piles  that  were  left. 

That  first  snow  had  quito  gone  and  the 
weather  was  bright  and  warm  until  now. 
Molly,  feeling  a  touch  of  rheumatism,  was 
somewhere  in  the  lower  thicket  seeking  a  tea- 
berry  tonic.  Rag  was  sitting  in  the  weak  sun- 
light on  a  bank  in  the  east  side.  The  smoke 
from  the  familiar  gable  chimney  of  Olifant's 
house  came  fitfully  drifting  a  pale  blue  haze 
through  the  underwoods  and  showing  as  a  dull 
brown  against  the  brightness  of  the  sky.  The 
sun-gilt  gable  was  cut  off  midway  by  the  banks 
of  brier-brush,  that  purple  in  shadow  shone  like 
rods  of  blazing  crimson  and  gold  in  the  light. 
Beyond  the  house  the  barn  with  its  gable  and 
roof,  new  gilt  as  the  house,  stood  up  like  a 
Noah's  ark. 

The  sounds  that  came  from  it,  and  yet  more 
the  delicious  smell  that  mingled  with  the 
smoke,  told  Rag  that  the  animals  were  being 
fed  cabbage  in  the  yard.  Rag's  mouth  watered 
at  the  idea  of  the  feast.    He  blinked  and  blinked 


M 


I  lO 


Raggyliig 


as  he  snuffed  its  odorous  promises,  for  he  loved 
cabbage  dearly.  But  then  he  had  been  to  the 
barnyard  the  night  before  after  a  few  paltry 
clover-tops,  and  no  wise  rabbit  would  go  two 
nights  running  to  the  same  place. 

Therefore  he  did  the  wise  thing.  He  moved 
across  where  he  could  not  smell  the  cabbage 
and  made  his  supper  of  a  bundle  of  hay  that 
had  been  blown  from  the  stack.  Later,  wlien 
about  to  settle  for  the  night,  he  was  joined  by 
Molly,  who  had  taken  her  teaberry  and  then 
eaten  her  frugal  meal  of  sweet  birch  near  the 
Sunning  Bank. 

Meanwhile  the  sun  had  gone  about  hi-  busi- 
ness elsewhere,  taking  all  his  gold  and  glory 
with  him.  Off  in  the  east  a  big  black  shutter 
came  pushing  up  and  rising  higher  and  higher; 
it  spread  over  the  whole  sky,  shut  out  all  light,' 
and  left  the  world  a  very  gloomy  place  indeed! 
Then  another  mischief-maker,  the  wind,  taking 
advantage  of  the  sun's  absence,  came  on  the 
scene  and  set  about  brewing  trouble.  The 
weather  turned  colder  and  colder;  it  seemed 
worse  than  when  the  ground  had  been  covered 
with  snow. 

"  Isn't  this  terribly  cold  ?     How   I  wish  we 
had  our  stove-pipe  brush-pile,"  said  Rag. 
"  A  good   night  for  the  pine-root  hole,"  re- 


3 

I 


( 


Raggylug 


III 


plied  Molly,  "  but  we  have  not  yet  seen  the 
pelt  of  that  mink  on  the  end  of  the  barn,  and  it 
is  not  safe  till  we  do." 

The  hollow  hickory  was  gone — in  fact  at  this 
very  moment  its  trunk,  lying  in  the  wood-yard, 
was  harboring  the  mink  they  feared.  So  the 
Cottontails  hopped  to  the  south  side  of  the 
pond  and,  choosing  a  brush-pile,  they  crept  un- 
der and  snuggled  down  for  the  night,  facing 
the  wind  but  with  their  noses  in  different  direc- 
tions so  as  to  go  out  different  ways  in  case  of 
alarm.  The  wind  blew  harder  and  colder  as 
the  hours  went  by,  and  about  midnight  a  fine,  icy 
snow  came  ticking  down  on  the  dead  leaves  and 
hissing  through  the  brush  heap.  It  might  seem 
a  poor  night  for  hunting,  but  that  old  fox  from 
Springfield  was  out.  He  came  pointing  up  the 
wind  in  the  shelter  of  the  Swamp  and  chanced 
in  the  lee  of  the  brush-pile,  where  he  scented 
the  sleeping  Cottontails.  He  halted  for  a  mo- 
ment, then  came  stealthily  sneaking  up  toward 
the  brush  under  which  his  nose  told  him  the 
rabbits  were  crouching.  The  noise  of  the  wind 
and  the  sleet  enabled  him  to  come  quite  close 
before  Molly  heard  the  faint  crunch  of  a  dry 
leaf  under  his  paw.  She  touched  Rag's  whis- 
kers, and  both  were  fully  awake  just  as  the  fox 
sprang  on  them  ;  but  they  always  slept  with 


'i 


3:"i 


112 


Raggyhig 


r 


I 


their  legs  ready  for  a  jump.  Molly  darted  out 
into  the  blinding  storm.  The  fox  missed  his 
spring,  but  followed  like  a  racer,  while  Rag 
dashed  off  to  one  side. 

There  was  only  one  road  for  Molly  ;  that  was 
straight  up  the  wind,  and  bounding  for  her  life 
she  gained  a  little  over  the  unfrozen  mud  that 
would  not  carry  the  fox,  till  she  reached  the 
margin  of  the  pond.  No  chance  to  turn  now, 
on  she  must  go. 

Splash !  splash  !  through  the  weeds  she  went, 
then  plunge  into  the  deep  water. 

And  plunge  went  the  fox  close  behind.     But 

it  was  too  much  for  Reynard  on  such  a  night. 

He  turned  back,  and  Molly,  seeing  only^'one 

course,  struggled  through  the  reeds  into  the 

deep  water  and  struck  out  for  the  other  shore. 

But  there  was  a  strong  headwind.     The  little 

waves,   icy  cold,  broke  over  her  head  as  she 

swam,  and   the   water  was  full   of  snow   that 

blocked  her  way  like  soft  ice,  or  floating  mud. 

The  dark  line  of  the  other  shore  seemed  far, 

far  away,  with  perhaps  the  fox  waiting  for  her 

there. 

But  she  laid  her  ears  flat  to  be  out  of  the 
gale,  and  bravely  put  forth  all  her  strength 
with  wind  and  tide  against  her.  After  a  long, 
weary  swim  in  the  cold  water,  she  had  nearly 


Raggvhtg  J 13 

reached  the  farther  reeds  when  a  great  mass  of 
Hoatingsnow  barred  her  road;  then  the  wind 
on  the  bank  made  strange,  fox-like  sounds  that 
robbed  her  of  all  force,  and  she  was  drifted  far 
backward  before  she  could  get  free  from  the 
noatmg  bar. 

Again    she   struck   out,   but  slowly— oh   so 
slowly  now.    And  when  at  last  she  reached  the 
lee  of  the  tall  reeds,  her  limbs  were  numbed 
her  strength  spent,  her  brave  little  heart  was 
smking,  and  she  cared  no  more  whether  the 
fox  were  there  or  not.     Through  the  reeds  she 
did  mdeed  pass,  but  once   in   the   weeds   her 
course  wavered  and  slowed,  her  feeble  strokes 
no  longer  sent  her  landward,  and  the  ice  form- 
ing around  her,  stopped  her  altogether.     In  a 
little   while  the   cold,   weak   limbs   ceased   to 
move,  the  furry  nose-tip  of  the  little  mother 
Cottontail  wobbled  no  more,  and  the  soft  brown 
eyes  were  closed  in  death. 

But  there  was  no  fox  waiting  to  tear  her  with 
ravenous  jaws.  Rag  had  escaped  the  first  on- 
set  of  the  foe,  and  as  soon  as  he  regained  his 
wits  he  came  running  back  to  change-off  and 
so  help  his  mother.  He  met  the  old  fox  going 
round  the  pond  to  meet  Molly  and  led  him  far 
and  away,  then  dismissed  him  with  a  barbed- 


::;i 


llilf 


114 


Raggylug 


wire  gash  on  his  head,  and  came  to  the  bank 
and  sought  about  and  trailed  and  thumped,  but 
all  his  searching  was  in  vain  ;  he  could  not  find 
his  little  mother.  He  never  saw  her  again, 
and  never  knew  whither  she  went,  for  she  slept 
her  never-waking  sleep  in  the  ice-arms  of  her 
friend  the  Water  that  tells  no  tales. 

Poor  little  Molly  Cottontail !  She  was  a  true 
heroine,  yet  only  one  of  unnumbered  millions 
that  without  a  thought  of  heroism  have  lived 
and  done  their  best  in  their  little  world,  and 
died.  She  fought  a  good  fight  in  the  battle  of 
life.  She  was  good  stuff ;  the  stuff  that  never 
dies.  For  flesh  of  her  flesh  and  brain  of  her 
brain  was  Rag.  She  lives  in  him,  and  through 
him  transn-its  a  finer  fibre  to  her  race. 

And  Rag  still  lives  in  the  Swamp.  Old  Oli- 
fant  died  that  winter,  and  the  unthrifty  sons 
ceased  to  clear  the  Swamp  or  mend  the  wire 
fences.  Within  a  single  year  it  was  a  wilder 
place  than  ever;  fresh  trees  and  brambles 
grew,  and  falling  wires  made  many  Cottontail 
castles  and  last  retreats  that  dogs  and  foxes 
dared  not  sto^m.  And  there  to  this  day  lives 
Rag.  He  is  a  big,  strong  buck  now  and  fears 
no  rivals.  He  has  a  large  family  of  his  own, 
and  a  pretty  brown  wife  that  he  got  no  one 
knows   where.     There,  no   doubt,  he   and   his 


Ragr^ying  , ,  ^ 

children's  children  will  flourish  for  many  years 
to   come,  and   there  you   may  see   them  any 
sunny  evening  if  you  have  learnt  their  si-nal 
code,  and  choosing  a  good  spot  on  the  ground 
know  just  how  and  when  to  thump  it. 


II 


=mmm 


\A 


VIXEN 


-ill 


THE  SPRINGFIELD  FOX 


'iT^'-TW 


I 


^■i  '.'■af. 


■■!>      ■>.-> 


■^ 


.#" 


»^/'-"^. 


And  the  litiii  oras  picked  /lisBoTiCS  €-oh! 


^W 


VIXEN 
THE  SPRINGFIELD   FOX 


THE  hens  had   been   mysteriously  disap- 
pearing  for  over  a  month  ;  and  when  I 
came  home  to  Springfield  for  the  sum- 
mer  hohdays  it  was  my  duty  to  find  the  cause. 
This  was  soon  done.     The  fowls  were  carried 
away  bodily  one  at  a  time,  before   going   to 
roost,  or  else  after  leaving,  which  put  tramps 
and   neighbors   out   of  court;    they  were  not 
taken  from  the  high  perches,  which  cleared  all 
coons  and  owls;   or  left  partly  eaten,  so  that 
weasels,  skunks,  or  minks  were  not  the  guilty 
ones,  and  the  blame,  therefore,  was  surely  left 
at  Reynard's  door. 

The  great  pine  wood  of  Erindale  was  on  the 
other  bank  of  the  river,  and  on  looking  care- 
fully  about  the  lower  ford  I  saw  a  few  fox- 
tracks  and  a  barred  feather  from  one  of  our 
Plymouth  Rock  chickens.  On  climbing  the 
farther  bank  in  search  of  more  clews,  I  heard  a 

H9 


I20 


Vixen 


great  outcry  of  crows  behind  me,  and  turning, 
saw  a  number  of  these  birds  darting  down  at 
something  in  the  ford.  A  better  view  showed 
that  it  was  the  old  story,  thief  catch  thief,  for 
there  in  the  middle  of  the  ford  was  a  fox  with 
something  in  his  jaws— he  was  returning  from 
our  barnyard  with  another  hen.  The  crows, 
though  shameless  robbers  themselves,  are  ever 
first  to  cry  'Stop  thief,'  and  yet  more  than 
ready  to  take  '  hush-money '  in  the  form  of  a 
share  in  the  plunder. 

And  this  was  their  game  now.  The  fox  to 
get  back  home  must  cross  the  river,  where  he 
was  exposed  to  the  full  brunt  of  the  crow  mob. 
He  made  a  dash  for  it,  and  would  doubtless 
have  gotten  across  with  his  booty  had  I  not 
joined  in  the  attack,  whereupon  he  dropped 
the  hen,  scarce  dead,  and  disappeared  in  the 
woods. 

This  large  and  regular  levy  of  provisions 
wholly  carried  off  could  mean  but  one  thing,  a 
family  of  little  foxes  at  home ;  and  to  find  them 
I  now  was  bound. 

That  evening  I  went  with  Ranger,  my  hound, 
across  the  river  into  the  Erindale  woods.  As 
soon  as  the  hound  began  to  circle,  we  heard  the 
short,  sharp  bark  of  a  fox  from  a  thickly  wooded 
ravine  close  by.     Ranger  dashed  in  at  once, 


Vixen  ,jj 

struck  a  hot  scent  and   went  off  on  a  lively 

ra,ght.away  till  his  voice  was  lost  in  the  d's^ 
tance  away  over  the  upland. 

After  nearly  an  hour  he  came  back,  pantinsr 
and  warm,  for  it  was  baking  August  weathef 
and  lay  down  at  my  feet.  "'earner. 

But  almost  immediately  the  same  foxy  'Kr* 
yurrr'  was  heard  close  at  hand  and  off  dashed 
the  dog  on  another  chase. 

Away  he  went  in  the  darkness,  baying  like  a 

^ud  r  f  ?i'  "^^^  *°  ^'^^  "-'h     And  the 

eeble  oo- r  u^"'""'  '  '°"  '""'  ""'  -^  that  a 
leeble  o-o  and  then  was  lost.  They  must  have 
gone  some  miles  away,  for  even  wi.  h  ear  to  the 
ground  I  heard  nothing  of  them,  though  ImL 
wa^  easy  distance  for  Ranger's  brazent  ce 

As  I  waited  in  the  black  woods  I  hearri  , 
sweet  sound  of  drippina-  wat^r-  .7-7       , 
'ink,  Ta  tin,  tank  Z^IT       ^""  """  ""' 

the  ho?  ntht  it°"  °'  '"f  'P""^  ^°  "-■•'  -d  in 

>ed  m    "f  th     Zlxff  '"'•  .^"'  '"^^  ^-"'l 
f„     A  :  ^    °^  ^"  oak-tree,  where  I 

lZ,-'u  rr'-    ^"^"^  ^  ^°ft'  =^-eet  song    ful 
of  dehghtful  suggestion  on  such  a  night" 

7l7«/&  /^^^  /^^^^  ^^-^^^ 

Ta  ta  tink  tank  ta  ta  tonk  tmk 
Drink  a  tank  a  drink  a  drunk. 


fill 


122 


Vixen 


It  was  the  *  water-dripping '  song  of  the  saw- 
whet  owl. 

But  suddenly  a  deep  raucous  breathing  and 
a  rustle  of  leaves  showed  that  Ranger  was  back. 
He  was  completely  fagged  out.  His  tongue 
hung  almost  to  the  ground  and  was  dripping 
with  foam,  his  flanks  were  heaving  and  spume- 
flecks  dribbled  from  his  breast  and  sides.  He 
stopped  panting  a  moment  to  give  my  hand  a 
dutiful  lick,  then  flung  himself  flop  on  the  leaves 
to  drown  all  other  sounds  with  his  noisy  panting. 

But  again  that  tantalizing  *  Yap  yurrr '  was 
heard  a  few  feet  away,  and  the  meaning  of  it  all 
dawned  on  me. 

We  were  close  to  the  den  where  the  little 
foxes  were,  and  the  old  ones  were  taking  turns 
in  trying  to  lead  us  away. 

It  was  late  night  now,  so  we  went  home  feel- 
ing sure  that  the  problem  was  nearly  solved. 


II 

It  was  well  known  that  there  was  an  old  fox 
with  his  family  living  in  the  neighborhood,  but 
no  one  supposed  them  so  near. 

This  fox  had  been  called  'Scarface,*  because 
of  a  scar  reaching  from  his  eye  through  and 
back  of  his  ear ;  this  was  supposed  to  have  been 


Vixen 


he  saw- 
ing and 
as  back. 

tongue 
ripping 
spume- 
es.    He 

hand  a 
e leaves 
wanting. 
rr'  was 

of  it  all 

le  little 
g  turns 

ne  feel- 
Ived. 


123 


old  fox 
od,  but 

)ecause 
gh  and 
i^e  been 


given  him  by  a  barbed-wire  fence  during  ^  rah 
b.t  hun    ,„,  ,    ,,^  ,^.^  ^^^^  .^  whitelL; U 
healed,  ,t  was  always  a  strong  mark. 
I  he  wmter  before  I  had  met  witi,  i,- 

of  f  hP  \.r.\\       T  ^  ^^^^  ^ose  to  a  view 

01  tne  nollow  I  cano-lif  c'rvu^.    r     <•  view 

long  range  down'^e  ^tler  Im/^^^^^^  ^^"^  ^^ 
n^y  course.    Instantly  I  ^^1"^^.:"^^ 

of  sight  in  LSicT  ovtT the'b'n  '  °"  °"' 
soon  as  he  was  hidden  I  bobbed  do  I.  ^' 

awaiting,  but  no  fo.  camX  J  ^.f^^^^^,  J'- 
Showed  the  fresh  track  of  a  fo.  that  had  I'd  d 
slw  Jld%     T'  '"'  '°"°^^''"^  '■'  -ith  my  eye  I 

hind  me  J.        '  ''"=^"  '^'  °"'  °f  --anVbe 
hind  me,  sittmg  on  his  haunches  and  o-/    • 

as  though  much  amused.  ^  '""'"^ 

A  study  of  the  trail  made  all  clear     H.  I,  a 


i! 


124 


Vixen 


W 


and  amused  himself  by  watching  my  stillborn 

trick. 

In  the  springtime  I  had  yet  another  instance 
of  Scarface's  cunning.  1  was  walking  with  a 
friend  alor^  the  road  over  the  high  pasture. 
We  passeci  ,vithin  thirty  feet  of  a  ridge  on 
which  were  several  gray  and  brown  bowlders. 
When  at  the  nearest  point  my  friend  said: 

"  Stone  number  three  looks  to  me  very  much 
like  a  fox  curled  up." 

But  I  could  not  see  it,  and  we  passed.  We 
had  not  gone  many  yards  farther  when  the 
wind  blew  on  this  bowlder  as  on  fur. 

My  friend  said,  "  I  am  sure  that  is  a  fox, 
lying  asleep." 

"  We'll  soon  settle  that,"  I  replied,  and  turned 
back,  but  as  soon  as  1  had  taken  one  step  from 
the  road,  up  jumped  Scarface,  for  it  was  he, 
and  ran.  A  fire  had  swept  the  middle  of  the 
pasture,  leaving  a  broad  belt  of  black;  over 
this  he  skurried  till  he  came  to  the  unburnt 
yellow  grass  again,  where  he  squatted  down 
and  was  lost  to  view.  He  had  been  watching 
us  all  the  time,  and  would  not  have  moved  had 
we  kept  to  the  road.  The  wonderful  part  of 
this  is,  not  that  he  resembled  the  round  stones 
and  dry  grass,  but  that  he  knew  he  did,  and 
was  ready  to  profit  by  it. 


Vixen 


125 


llborn 

stance 

with  a 

isture. 

ge   on 

vlders. 

1: 

'  much 

.    We 

en  the 

a  fox, 

turned 
p  from 
vas  he, 

of  the 
;  over 
nburnt 

down 
itching 
ed  had 
part  of 

stones 
idy  and 


We  soon  found  that  it  was  Scarface  and  his 
wife  Vixen   that   had   made   our  woods   their 
home  and  our  barnyard  their  base  of  supplies. 
Next  morning  a  search  in  the  pines  showed 
a  great  bank  of  earth  that  had  been  scratched 
"P  within  a  few  months.     It  must  have  come 
from  a  hole,  and  yet  there  was  none  to  be  seen. 
It  IS  well  known  that  a  really  cute  fox,  on  dig- 
ging  a  new  den,  brings  all  the  earth  out  at  the 
first  hole  made,  but  carries  on  a  tunnel  into 
some  distant  thicket.    Then  closing  up  for  good 
the  first  made  and  too  well-marked  door,  uses 
only  the  entrance  hidden  in  the  thicket. 

So  after  a  little  search  at  the  other  side  of  a 
knoll,  I  found  the  real  entry  and  good  proof 
that  there  was  a  nest  of  little  foxes  inside. 

Rising  above  the  brush  Qn  the  hillside  was  a 
great  hollow  basswood.  It  leaned  a  good  deal 
and  had  a  large  hole  at  the  bottom,  and  a 
smaller  one  at  top. 

We  boys  had  often  used  this  tree  in  playing 
Swiss  Family  Robinson,  and  by  cutting  steps  in 
Its  soft  punky  walls  had  made  it  easy  to  go  up 
and  down  in  the  hollow.  Now  it  came  in 
handy,  for  next  day  when  the  sun  was  warm  I 
went  there  to  watch,  and  from  this  perch  on 
the  roof,  I  soon  saw  the  interesting  family  that 
lived  in  the  cellar  near  by.     There  were  four 


i 


126 


Vixen 


little  foxes;  they  looked  curiously  like  little 
lambs,  with  their  woolly  coats,  their  long,  thick 
legs  and  innocent  expressions,  and  yet  a  second 
glance  at  their  broad,  sharp-nosed,  sharp-eyed 
visages  showed  that  each  of  these  innocents 
was  the  makings  of  a  crafty  old  fox. 

They  played  about,  basking  in  the  sun,  or 
wrestling  with  each  other  till  a  slight  sound 
made  them  skurry  under  ground.  But  their 
alarm  was  needless,  for  the  cause  of  it  was  their 
mother ;  she  stepped  from  the  bushes  bringing 
another  hen— number  seventeen  as  I  remember. 
A  low  call  from  her  and  the  little  fellows  came 
tumbling  out.  Then  began  a  scene  that  I 
thought  charming,  but  which  my  uncle  would 
not  have  enjoyed  at  all. 

They  rushed  on  the  hen,  and  tussled  and 
fought  with  it,  and  each  other,  while  the 
mother,  keeping  a  sharp  eye  for  enemies, 
looked  on  with  fond  delight.  The  expression 
on  her  face  was  remarkable.  It  was  first  a 
grinning  of  delight,  but  her  usual  look  of  wild- 
ness  and  cunning  was  there,  nor  were  cruelty 
and  nervousness  lacking,  but  over  all  was  the 
unmistakable  look  of  the  mother's  pride  and 
love. 

The  base  of  my  tree  was  hidden  in  bushes 
and  much  lower  than  the  knoll  where  the  den 


e  little 
J,  thick 
second 
'p-eyed 
lOcentB 

sun,  or 
sound 
t  their 
IS  their 
-inging 
ember. 
3  came 
that  I 
would 

id  and 
le  the 
lemies, 
ression 
first  a 
f  wild- 
:ruelty 
as  the 
3e  and 

bushes 
[le  den 


ii 


li 


Vixen 


127 


I 'I 
I  if 


without 


was.    So  I  could  come  and  go  at  w 
scaring  the  foxes. 

For  many  days  I  went  there  and  saw  much 
of  the  traming  of  the  young  ones.  They  early 
learned  to  turn  to  statuettes  at  any  strange 
sound,  and  then  on  hearing  it  again  or  finding 
other  cause  for  fear,  to  run  for  shelter. 

Some  animals  have  so  much  mother-love  that 
it  overflows  and  benefits  outsiders.  Not  so  old 
Vixen  it  would  seem.  Her  pleasure  in  the  cubs 
led  to  most  refined  cruelty.  For  she  often 
brought  home  to  them  mice  and  birds  alive 
and  with  diabolical  gentl  ness  would  avoid  do- 
ing them  serious  hurt  so  that  the  cubs  might 
have  larger  scope  to  torment  them. 

There  was  a  woodchuck  that  lived  over  in 
the   hill   orchard.     He  was  neither  handsome 
nor  mteresting,  but  he  knew  how  to  take  care 
of  himself.     He  had  digged  a  den  between  the 
roots  of  an  old  pine-stump,  so  that  the  foxes 
could  not  follow  him   by  digging.     But  hard 
work  was  not  their  way  of  life  ;  wits  they  be- 
lieved  worth   more   than    elbow-grease.    This 
woodchuck    usually    sunned    himself    on    the 
stump  each  morning.     If  he  saw  a  fox  near  he 
went  down  in  the  door  of  his  den,  or  if  the 
enemy  was  very  near  he  went  inside  and  stayed 
long  enough  for  the  danger  to  pass. 


ff< 


128 


Vixen 


One  morning  Vixen  and  her  mate  seemed  to 
decide  tliat  it  was  time  the  children  knew  some- 
thing about  the  broad  subject  of  Woodchucks, 
and  further  that  this  orchard  woodchuck  would 
serve  nicely  for  an  object-lesson.  So  they  went 
together  to  the  orchard-fence  unseen  by  old 
Chuckle  on  his  stump.  Scarface  then  showed 
himself  in  the  orchard  and  quietly  walked  in 
a  line  so  as  to  pass  by  the  stump  at  a  distance, 
but  never  once  turned  his  head  or  allowed  the 
ever-watchful  woodchuck  to  think  himself  seen. 
When  the  fox  entered  the  field  the  woodchuck 
quietly  dropped  down  to  the  mouth  of  his  den; 
here  he  waited  as  the  fox  passed,  but  conclud- 
ing that  after  all  wisdom  is  the  better  part, 
went  into  his  hole. 

This  was  what  the  foxes  wanted.  Vixen  had 
kept  out  of  sight,  but  now  ran  swiftly  to  the 
stump  and  hid  behind  it.  Scarface  had  kept 
straight  on,  going  very  slowly.  The  wood- 
chuck had  not  been  frightened,  so  before  long 
his  head  popped  up  between  the  roots  and  he 
looked  around.  There  was  that  fox  still  going 
on,  farther  and  farther  away.  The  woodchuck 
grew  bold  as  the  fox  went,  and  came  out  farther, 
and  then  seeing  the  coast  clear,  he  scrambled 
onto  the  stump,  and  with  one  spring  Vixen  had 
him  and  shook  him  till  he  lay  senseless.     Scar- 


ii  f  i 


VtXCH 


129 


face  had  watched  out  of  the  corner  of  his  eve 
and  now  came  running  b.-ck.  But  Vixen  took 
the  chuck  ,n  her  jaws  and  made  for  the  den,  so 
he  saw  he  wasn't  needed. 

Back  to  the  den  came  Vix,  and  carried  the 
chuck  so  carefully  that  he  was  able  to  strupgle 
a  httle  when  she  got  there.     A  low  '  W'at 
the  den  brought  the  little  fellows  out  like  school, 
boys  to  play.     She  threw  the  wounded  animal 
to  them  and  they  set  on  him  like  four  little 
furies,   uttering   little  growls  and  biting  little 
bites  with  all  the  strength  of  their  baby  jaws 
buf  the  woodchuck  fought  for  his  life  and  beati 
ing  them  off  slowly  hobbled  to  the  shelter  of  a 
thicket.    The  little  ones  pursued  like  a  pack  of 
hounds  and  dragged  at  his  tail  and  flanks,  but 
could   not  hold  him   back.    So  Vix  overtook 
him  with  a  couple  of  bounds  and  dragged  him 
again  into  the  open  for  the  children  to  worry 
Again  and  again  this  rough  sport  went  on  till" 
one  of  the  little  ones  was  badly  bitten,  and  his 
squeal  of  pain  roused    Vix   to  end   the  wood- 
chuck's  misery  and  serve  him  up  at  once 

Not  far  from  the  den  was  a  hollow  overgr>  -n 
with  coarse  grass,  the  playground  of  a  colony 
of  field-mice.    The  earliest  lesson  in  woodcraft 
that  the  little  ones  took,  away  from  the  den 
was  in  this  hollow.     Here  they  had  their  first 


I30 


Vixen 


I 


course  of  mice,  the  easiest  of  all  game.  In 
teaching,  the  main  thing  was  example,  aided  by 
a  deep-set  instinct.  The  old  fox,  also,  had  one 
or  two  signs  meaning  "lie  still  and  watch," 
"  come,  do  as  I  do,"  and  so  on,  that  were  much 
used. 

So  the  merry  lot  went  to  this  hollow  one 
calm  evening  and  Mother  Fox  made  them  lie 
still  in  the  grass.  Presently  a  faint  squeak 
showed  that  the  game  was  astir.  Vix  rose  up 
and  went  on  tip-toe  into  the  grass — not  crouch- 
ing, but  as  high  as  she  could  stand,  sometimes 
on  her  hind  legs  so  as  to  get  a  better  view. 
The  runs  that  the  mice  follow  are  hidden  under 
the  grass  tangle,  and  the  only  way  to  know  the 
whereabouts  of  a  mouse  is  by  seeing  the  slight 
shaking  of  the  grass,  which  is  the  reason  why 
mice  are  hunted  only  on  calm  days. 

And  the  trick  is  to  locate  the  mouse  and 
seize  him  first  and  see  him  afterward.  Vix 
soon  made  a  spring,  and  in  the  middle  of  the 
bunch  of  dead  grass  that  she  grabbed  was  a 
fie'd-mouse  squeaking  his  last  squeak. 

He  was  soon  gobbled,  and  the  four  awkward 
little  foxes  tried  to  do  the  same  as  their  mother, 
and  when  at  length  the  eldest  for  the  first  time 
in  his  life  caught  game,  he  quivered  with  ex- 
citement and  ground  his  pearly  little  milk-teeth 


Vixen 


131 


into  the  mouse  with  a  rush  of  inborn  savage 
ness  that  must  have  surprised  even  himse,r 

rel     Onr  )T  ''''°"  ^"''^  °"  the  red-squir- 
clL  ?      °1     "'  "°''^'  ^"'g^'- creatures,  Hved 

s  odinjr  /'''/°  "^^'^  P^"  °f  --h  dly 
scoldmg  the  foxes,  from  some  safe  perch     The 

cubs  made  many  vain  attempts  to  catch  him  as 
he  ran  across  their  glade  from  one  tree  to  an 
other,  or  spluttered  and  scolded  at  them  Ifoot' 
or  so  out  of  reach.    But  old  Vixen  wa^  1° 
natural  histor,-she  knew  squi:",  „Xe^J 
took  the  case  in   hand  when  the  proper  t.me 
came.     She  hid  the  children  and  lay  down  Z 
n  the  m-ddle  of  the  open  glade.    The  saucv 
low  mmded  squirrel  came  and  scolded  as  usuaT 

atifrir^'  r  '/""•  "^  ^^- "--  -i 

at  last  right  overhead  to  chatter  : 
"You  brute  you,  you  brute  you  " 
But  Vix  lay  as  dead.     This  was  very  per 

Plexmg,  so  the  squirrel  came  down  the  trunk 

scZrr."''"'*'  ^°"'  ^°"  "'"'"'^  ''^"t^-  ^^^rrr. 
But  flat  and  lifeless  on  the  grass  lay  Vix 
This  was  most  tantalizing  to  the  squirre[    He 
was  naturally  curious  and  disposed  to  be  vent! 


>  !  I, ! 


132 


Vixen 


I 


uresome,  so  again  he  carnc  to  the  ground 
and  skurricd  across  the  glade  nearer  than 
before. 

Still  as  death  lay  Vix,  "  surely  she  was  dead." 
And  the  little  foxes  began  to  wonder  if  their 
mother  wasn't  asleep. 

But  the  squirrel  was  working  himself  into  a 
little  craze  of  foolhardy  curiosity.  He  had 
dropped  a  piece  of  bark  on  Vix's  head  ;  he  had 
used  up  his  list  of  bad  words,  and  he  had  done 
it  all  over  again,  without  getting  a  sign  of  life. 
So  after  a  couple  more  dashes  across  the  glade 
he  ventured  within  a  few  feet  of  the  really 
watchful  Vix,  who  sprang  to  her  feet  and 
pinned  him  in  a  twinkling. 

"  And  the  little  ones  picked  the  bones  c-oh." 

Thus  the  rudiments  of  their  education  were 
laid,  and  afterward,  as  tlicy  grew  stronger,  they 
were  taken  farther  afield  to  begin  the  higher 
branches  of  trailing:  and  scentinsf. 

For  each  kind  of  prey  they  were  taught  a 
way  to  hunt,  for  ever}^  animal  has  some  great 
strength  or  it  could  not  live,  and  some  great 
weakness  or  the  others  could  not  live.  The 
squirrel's  weakness  was  foolish  curiosity  ;  the 
fox's  that  he  can't  climb  a  tree.  And  the  train- 
ing of  the  little  foxes  was  all  shaped  to  take 
advantage  of  the  weakness  of  the  other  creat- 


Vixen 


133 


"res  and  to  make  up  for  their  own  by  defter 
play  where  they  arc  strong. 

From  their  parents  they  learned   the  chief 
axioms  of  the  fox  world.     How,  is  not  easy  to 

wuhthe.r  parents  was  elear.     Here  are  somi 
that  foxes  taught  me,  without  saying  a  word:- 

Never  sleep  on  your  straight  track. 
^  Jour  nose  is  before  your  eyes,  then  trust  it 

A  fool  runs  down  the  wind. 
Running  rills  cure  many  ills 
^^Never  take  the  open  if  you  can   keep  the 

^  Never  leave  a  straight  trail  if  a  crooked  one 

If  it's  strange,  it's  hostile. 

Dust  and  water  burn  the  scent.  < 

Never  hunt  mice  in  a  rabbit-woods,  or  rab- 
bits  m  a  henyard.  >       '•*o 

Keep  off  the  grass. 

Inklings  of  the  meanings  of  these  were  al- 
ready entenng  the  little  ones'  minds -thus 
Never  fo  low  what  you  can't  smell,'  was  wise 

the^,  the  -vmd  .s  so  that  it  must  smell  you. 

o^Zw^  °"'  "''^  ''''"•=^  "^^  ^'^'  «"d  beasts 
of  their  home  woods,  and  then  as  they  were 


I  i,. 


im 


134 


Vixen 


able  to  go  abroad  with  their  parents  they 
learned  new  animals.  They  were  beginning  to 
think  they  knew  the  scent  of  everything  that 
moved.  But  one  night  the  mother  took  them 
to  a  field  where  was  a  strange  black  flat  thing 
on  the  ground.  She  brought  them  on  purpose 
to  smell  it,  but  at  the  first  whiff  their  every 
hair  stood  on  end,  they  trembled,  they  knew 
not  why— it  seemed  to  tingle  through  their 
blood  and  fill  them  with  instinctive  hate  and 
fear.  And  when  she  saw  its  full  effect  she  told 
them — 

"  That  is  man-scenty 


ft,rs 


in 

Meanwhile  the  hens  continued  to  disappear. 
I  had  not  betrayed  the  den  of  cubs.  Indeed, 
I  thought  a  good  deal  more  of  the  little  rascals 
than  I  did  of  the  hens;  but  uncle  was  dread- 
fully wrought  up  and  made  most  disparaging 
remarks  about  my  woodcraft.     To  please  him 


Vixen 


135 


■irate  h,  ,.„,  „„,  |„  a^  ">'" 

across  the  river-bottom  to  the  stream     T^ 
went  and  trotted  alon,  i„  thl  Sow  w^at  ^ 
near  the  margin  for  two  hundred  yards  then 
came  out  straight  toward  me.    Though   'ntu 
view    he  saw  me  not,  but  came  up  the  hill 
wa  ch,„g  „,er  his    shoulder  for  the   hound 
W.th.n  ten  feet  of  me  he  turned  and  sat  with 
h.s  back  to  me  while  he  craned  his  neck  anj 
showed  an  eager  interest  in  the  doings  2  t  e 

til  he -cameTtr "^  '^^"'"^  ^'°"^' ''^  '-« 
scent  an7K  .  '"""'"^  ^^*^^'  '^e  killer  of 
scent,  and  here  he  was  puzzled ;  but  there  wa, 
on^one  thing  to  do;  that  wa;  by  go "g  un 

tolet  a'ti''"""'  ^'  '''"'"'  '^'■^  P°^'"°"  -  little 
to  get  a  better  view  and  watched  with  a  mo,t 

human  interest  all  the  circling  of  th    hoi' 

He  was  so  close  that   I  saw  the  hair  of  Ws 

.boulder  bristle  a  little  when  the  dog  came  in 


136 


Vixen 


\k 

"I 


sight.  I  could  see  the  jumping  of  his  heart  on 
his  ribs,  and  the  gleam  of  his  yellow  eye.  When 
the  dog  was  wholly  baulked  by  the  water  trick 
it  was  comical  to  see :— he  could  not  sit  still, 
but  rocked  up  and  down  in  glee,  and  reared  on 
his  hind  feet  to  get  a  better  view  of  the  slow- 
plodding  hound.  With  mouth  opened  nearly 
to  his  ears,  though  not  at  all  winded,  he  panted 
noisily  for  a  moment,  or  rather  he  laughed 
gleefully  just  as  a  dog  laughs  by  grinning  and 
panting. 

Old  Scarface  wriggled  in  huge  enjoyment  as 
the  hound  puzzled  over  the  trail  so  long  that 
when  he  did  find  it,  it  was  so  stale  he  could 
barely  follow  it,  and  did  not  feel  justified  in 
tonguing  on  it  at  all. 

As  soon  as  the  hound  was  working  up  the 
hill,  the  fox  quietly  went  into  the  woods.  I 
had  been  sitting  in  plain  view  only  ten  feet 
away,  but  I  had  the  wind  and  kept  still  and 
the  fox  never  knew  that  his  life  had  for 
twenty  minutes  been  in  the  power  of  the  foe 
he  most  feared.  Ranger  would  also  have 
passed  me  as  near  as  the  fox,  but  I  spoke  to 
him,  and  with  a  little  nervous  start  he  quit 
the  trail  and  looking  sheepish  lay  down  by 
my  feet. 

This  little  comedy  was  played  with  variations 


Vixen 


"^^1 


eart  on 
When 
r  trick 
lit  still, 
ired  on 
e  slow- 
nearly 
panted 
lughed 
ig  and 

nent  as 

g  that 

could 

fied  in 

up  the 
Dds.  I 
;n  feet 
ill  and 
id  for 
he  foe 
)  have 
oke  to 
e  quit 
wn  by 

iations 


from  the  house  across  the  river.  My  uncle 
.mpatjent  at  the  daily  loss  of  hens,  went  out' 
h  mself,  sat  on  the  open  knoll,  and  when  old 
Scarface  trotted  to  his  lookout  to  watch  the 

dull  hound  on  the  rwre^r-  f?of  u  i 

LUC  river  Hat  below,  mv  uncle 

remorselessly  shot  him  in  the  back,  .,  L  very 
~t  When  he  was  grinning  over  a  .Z 

IV 

But  still  the  hens  were  disappearing.    My 

with  no  ''''"■.  ■"''"'  ""^  ^°^^d  the  woods 
with  po.son  baits,  trusting  to  luck  that  our 
own  dogs  would  not  get  them.  He  indulged 
:n  contemptuous  remarks  on  my  by-gone 
woodcraft,  and  went  out  evenings  lithVgun 
and^the  two  dogs,  to  ^  what  he  could  de- 

Vix  knew  right  well  what  a  poison  bait  was  • 
she  passed  them  by  or  else  treated  them  lith 
active  contempt,  but  one  she  dropped  down 
the  hole  of  an  old  enemy,  a  skunk,  who  was 

wT.?  1  '''"•    ^°™^^'^  °'d  Scarface 

was  always  ready  to  take  charge  of  the  dogs. 

V^-^  h'T  .^""  T'  °^  "'■■^^'^'^f-    But  now  tha 
Vix  had  the  whole  burden  of  the  brood,  she 


138 


Vixen 


lid  no  lonfjcr 


could  no  lon^rcr  spend  time  in  breaking  every 
track  to  the  den,  and  was  not  always  at  hand 
to  meet  and  mislead  the  foes  that  might  Le 
coming  too  near. 

The  end  is  easily  foreseen.  Ranger  followed 
a  hot  trail  to  the  den,  and  Spot,  the  fox-terrier, 
announced  that  the  family  was  at  home,  and 
then  did  his  best  to  go  in  after  them. 

The  whole  secret  was  now  out,  and  the  whole 
family  doomed.     The  hired  man  came  around 
with  pick  and  shovel  to  dig  them  out,  while  we 
and  the  dogs  stood  by.     Old  Vix  soon  showed 
herself  in  the  near  woods,  and  led  the  dogs 
away  off  down  the  river,  where  she  shook  them 
off  when  she   thought  proper,  by  the   simple 
device  of  springing  on  a  sheep's  bac'  .     The 
frightened    animal    ran    for    several    hundred 
yards;  then  Vix  got  off,  knowing  that  there  was 
now  a  hopeless  gap  in  the  scent,  and  returned 
to  the  den.     But  the  dogs,  baffled  by  the  break 
in  the  trail,  soon   did   the   same,   to   find  Vix 
hanging  about  in  despair,  vainly  trying  to  de- 
coy us  away  from  her  treasures. 

Meanwhile  Paddy  plied  both  pick  and  shovel 
with  vigor  and  effect.  The  yellow,  gravelly 
sand  was  heaping  on  both  sides,  and  the  shoul- 
ders  of  the  sturdy  digger  were  sinking  below 
the  level.     After  an  hour's  digging,  enlivened 


Vixen 


2^  every 
it  hand 
ight  Lc 

allowed 
-terrier, 
nc,  and 

e  whole 
around 
hile  we 
showed 
e  dogs 
k  them 
simple 
.     The 
Lindred 
Jre  was 
turned 
!  break 
id  Vix 
to  de- 
shovel 
"avelly 
shoul- 
below 
ivened 


^39 


by  frantic  rushes  oi  the  clours  after  the  old  fox 
who  hovered  near  in  the  woods,  Fat  called:    '  ' 
Here  they  are,  sorl" 
It  was  the  den  at  the  end  of  the  burrow,  and 

lour  little  woolly  cubs. 

Before  I  could  interfere,  a  murderous  blow 
from   the  shovel,  and   a  sud<leu  rush   for  the 

hcrce  httic  terrier,  ended  the   lives  of  three. 
The  fo     t,,      ,^,  ^_^^,^„^.^^  ^^^  ^^^^^^ 

exSd:;?^ '■'""" '^■■«''""'°^--'>°' the 

He  gave  one  short  squeal,  and  his  poor 
mo  her  cau,e  at  th,,  cry,  and  circled  so  near 
t  at  she  would  have  been  shot  but  for  the  ac- 
c  dental  protection  of  the  <logs,  who  somehow 
always  seemed  to  get  between,  and  whom  she 
once   more  led  away  on  a  fruitless  chase. 

The  httIc  one  saved  alive  was  dropped  into  a 

bag  where  he  lay  quite  still.     His  unfortunate 

brothers  were  thrown  back  into  their  nursery 

bed^and  buried  under  a  few  shovelfuls  of  earth 

We   gudty  ones   then    went   back   into   the 

house,  and  the  little  fox  was  soon  chained  in 
he  yard      No  one  knew  just  why  he  was  kept 

al.ve,  but   m   all  a  change   of  feeling  had  set 

in,  and  the  ,dea  of  killing  him  was  without  a 

supporter. 


If  >>'  m 


140 


Vixen 


I 


He 


be- 


was  a  pretty  little  fellow,  like  a  cross 
tween  a  fox  and  a  lamb.  His  woolly  visage 
and  form  were  strangely  lamb-like  and  inno- 
cent, but  one  could  find  in  his  yellow  eyes  a 
gleam  of  cunning  and  savageness  as  unlamb- 
like  as  it  possibly  could  be. 

As  long  as  anyone  was  near  he  crouched 
sullen  and  cowed  in  his  shelter-box,  and  it  was 
a  full  hour  after  being  left  alone  before  he  vent- 
ured to  look  out. 

My  window  now  took  the  place  of  the  hol- 
low basswood.  A  number  of  hens  of  the  breed 
he  knew  so  well  were  about  the  cub  in  the 
yard.  Late  that  afternoon  as  they  strayed  near 
the  captive  there  was  a  sudden  rattle  of  the 
chain,  and  the  youngster  dashed  at  the  nearest 
one  and  would  have  caught  him  but  for  the 
chain  which  brought  him  up  with  a  jerk.  He 
got  on  his  feet  and  slunk  back  to  his  box,  and 
though  he  afterward  made  several  rushes  he 
so  gauged  his  leap  as  to  win  or  fail  within  the 
length  of  the  chain  and  never  again  was  brought 
up  by  its  cruel  jerk. 

As  night  came  down  the  little  fellow  became 
very  uneasy,  sneaking  out  of  his  box,  but  going 
back  at  each  slight  alarm,  tugging  at  his  chain, 
or  at  times  biting  it  in  fury  while  he  held  it 
down  with  his  fore-paws.     Suddenly  he  paused 


Vixen  j^j 

as  though  h'stcning,  then  i.i:sing  his  little  black 
nose  he  poured  out  a  short,  quavering  cry. 

Once  or  twice  this  was  repeated,  the   time 
between  being  occupied  in  worrying  the  chain 
and   running  about.     Then   an   answer  came. 
The  far-away  Yap  yurrr  of  the  old  fox.     A  few 
mniutes  later  a  shadowy  form  appeared  on  the 
wood-pile.     The  little  one  slunk  into  his  box, 
but  at  once  returned  and  ran  to  meet  his  mother 
with  all  the  gladness  that  a  fox  could  show. 
Quick  as  a  Hash  she  seized  him  and  turned  to 
bear  him  away  by  the  road  she  came.     But  the 
moment  the  end  of  the  chain  was  reached  the 
cub   was    rudely  jerked   from   the    old    one's 
mouth,  and   she,  scared  by  the  opening  of  a 
window,  fled  over  the  wood-pile. 
•     An  hour  afterward  the  cub  had  ceased  to  run 
about  or  cry.     I  peeped  out,  and  by  the  light 
of  the  moon  saw  the  form  of  the  mother  at  full 
length  on  the  ground  by  the  little  one  gnaw- 
ing at  something-the  clank  of  iron  told  what, 
it  was   that   cruel  chain.     And  Tip,  the   little 
one,  meanwhile  was  helping  himself  to  a  warm 
drink. 

On  my  going  out  she  fled  into  the  dark 
woods,  but  there  by  the  shelter-box  were  two 
httle  mice,  bloody  and  still  warm,  food  for  the 
cub  brought  by  the  devoted  mother.    And  in 


142 


Vixen 


the  morninpf  I  found  the  ch 
for  a  foot  or  two  nc 


ain  was  very  bright 


xt  the  little  one's  collar. 
On  walking  across  the  woods  to  the  ruined 
den,  I  again  found  signs  of  Vixen.     The  poor 
heart-broken  mother  had  come  and  dug  out  the 
bedraggled  bodies  of  her  little  ones. 

There  lay   the    three    little    baby   foxes    all 
licked  smooth  now,  and  by  them  were  two  of 
our  hens  fresh  killed.     The  newly  heaved  earth 
was  printed  all  over  with  tell-tale  signs— signs 
that  told  me  that  here  by  the  side  of  her  dead 
she  had  watched  like  Rizpah.     Here  she  had 
brought  their  usual  meal,  the  spoil  of  her  nigiitly 
hunt.     Here  she  had  stretched  herself  beside 
them   and   vainly   offered   them   their   natural 
drink  and  yearned  to  feed  and  warm  them  as  of 
old  ;  but  only  stiff  little  bodies  under  their  soft 
wool  she  found,  and  little  cold  noses  still  and 
unresponsive. 

A  deep  impress  of  elbows,  breast,  and  hocks 
showed  where  she  had  laid  in  silent  grief  and 
watched  them  for  long  and  mourned  as  a  wild 
mother  can  mourn  for  its  young.  But  from 
that  time  she  came  no  more  to  the  ruined  den, 
for  now  she  surely  knew  that  her  little  ones 
were  dead. 


Vixen 


'43 


Tip,  the  captive,  the  wcaklu.g  of  the  broo.l 

was  now  the  heir  t„  all  her  love.     The  doS 

were  loosed  to  gi.ard  the  hens.     The  hired  n.an 

had  orders  to  shoot  the  old  fox  on  si,,ht_so 
had    I,   Y  ^^3^,^^j   ^^^^^^   ^^    ^^^ 

Ch.cken-heads.  that  a  lo.x  loves  an.l  a  dojj  will 
not  touch  had  been  poisoned  and  scattered 
through  the  woods;  and  the  only  way  to  the 
yard  where  Ti,.  was  tied  was  by  clin.bing  the 
wood-p.le  after  bravinj,  all  other  .la.Lr 
And  yet  each  night  old  Vix  was  there  to  nurse 
her  baby  and    bring   it   fresh-killed    hens  and 

game.     Again  and  again  1  saw  her,  although 

she  came  now  v'thont  -iwi'iii.,,  ,i  . 

^f,,  „f  *i  .  *iw.i.tnig  the  querulous 

cry  of  the  captive. 

The  second  night  of  the  captivity  I  heard 
he  rattle  of  the  chain,  and  then  n,ade  out  that 
the  o  d  fox  was  there,  hard  at  work  digging  a 
hole  by  the  little  one's  kennel.     When  it  was 
deep  enough  to  half  bury  her,  she  gathered  into 
It  all  the  slack  of  the  chain,  and  tilled  it  again 
w.  h  earth.     Then  in  triumph  thinking  sheLd 
gotten  nd  of  the  chain,  she  seized  little  Tip  bv 
he  neck  and  turned  to  dash  off  up  the  wood 
p.le,  but  alas  only  to  have  him  jerked  roughly 
from  her  grasp.  '^    •' 


144 


Vixen 


If 


%  ' 


:i 


Poor  little  fellow,  he  whimpered  sadly  as  he 
crawled  into  his  box.  After  half  an  hour  there 
was  a  great  outcry  among  the  dogs,  and  by 
their  straight-away  tonguing  through  the  far 
woods  I  knew  they  were  chasing  Vix.  Away 
up  north  they  went  in  the  direction  of  the  rail- 
way and  their  noise  faded  from  hearing.  Next 
morning  the  hound  had  not  come  back.  We 
soon  knew  why.  Foxes  long  ago  learned  what 
a  railroad  is ;  they  soon  devised  several  ways  of 
turning  it  to  account.  One  way  is  when  hunted 
to  walk  the  rails  for  a  long  distance  just  before 
a  train  comes.  The  scent,  always  poor  on  iron, 
is  destroyed  by  the  train  and  there  is  always  a 
chance  of  hounds  being  killed  by  the  engine. 
But  another  way  more  sure,  but  harder  to  play, 
is  to  lead  the  hounds  straight  to  a  high  trestle 
just  ahead  of  the  train,  so  that  the  engine  over- 
takes them  on  it  and  they  are  surely  dashed  to 
destruction. 

This  trick  was  skilfully  played,  and  down 
below  we  found  the  mangled  remains  of  old 
Ranger  and  learned  that  Vix  was  already 
wreaking  her  revenge. 

That  same  night  she  returned  to  the  yard 
before  Spot's  weary  limbs  could  bring  him 
back  and  killed  another  hen  and  brought  it  to 
Tip,  and  stretched  her  panting  length  beside 


AiM^ 


f 


Vixen 


145 


him  that  he  might  quench  his  thirst.  For  she 
seemed  to  think  he  had  no  food  but  what  she 
brought. 

It  was  that  hen  that  betrayed  to  my  uncle 
the  nightly  visits. 

My  own  sympathies  were  all  turning  to  Vix, 
and  I  would  have  no  hand  in  planning  further 
murders.  Nex  lightmy  uncle  himself  watched, 
gun  in  hand,  for  an  hour.  Then  when  it  be! 
came  cold  and  the  moon  clouded  over  he  re- 
membered otiier  important  business  elsewhere, 
and  left  Paddy  in  his  place. 

But  Paddy  was  "onaisy"  as  the  stillness 
and  anxiety  of  watching  worked  on  his 
nerves.  And  the  loud  bang!  bang!  an  hour 
later  left  us  sure  only  that  powder  had  been 
burned. 

In  the  morning  we  found  Vix  had  not  failed 
her  young  one.     Again  next  night  found  my 
uncle  on  guard,  for  another  hen  had  been  taken. 
Soon  after  dark  a  single  shot  was  heard,  but 
Vix  dropped  the  game  she  was  bringing  and 
escaped.     Another  attempt   made   that    night 
called  forth  another  gun-shot.     Yet  next  day  it 
was  seen  by  the  brightness  of  the  chain  that 
she  had  come  again  and  vainly  tried  for  hours 
to  cut  that  hateful  bond. 
Such  courage  and  stanch  fidelity  were  bound 


Sin 


146 


Vz, 


xen 


to  win  respect,  if  not  toleration.  At  any  rate, 
there  was  no  gunner  in  wait  next  night,  when 
all  was  still.  Could  it  be  of  any  use  ?  Driven 
off  thrice  with  gun-shots,  would  she  make  an- 
other try  to  feed  or  free  her  captive  young 
one? 

Would  she?  Hers  was  a  mother's  love. 
There  was  but  one  to  watch  them  this  time, 
the  fourth  night,  when  the  quavering  whine 
of  the  little  one  was  followed  by  that  shadowy 
form  above  the  wood-pile. 

But  carrying  no  fowl  or  food  that  could  be 
seen.  Had  the  keen  huntress  failed  at  last? 
Had  she  no  head  of  game  for  this  her  only 
charge,  or  had  she  learned  to  trust  his  captors 
for  his  food  ? 

No,  far  from  all  this.  The  wild-wood  mother's 
heart  and  hate  were  true.  Her  only  thought 
had  been  to  set  him  free.  All  means  she  knew 
she  tried,  and  every  danger  braved  to  tend  him 
well  and  help  him  to  be  free.    But  all  had  failed. 

Like  a  shadow  she  came  and  in  a  moment 
was  gone,  and  Tip  seized  on  something  dropped, 
and  crunched  and  chewed  with  relish  what  she 
brought.  But  even  as  he  ate,  a  knife-like  pang 
shot  through  and  a  scream  of  pain  escaped  him. 
Then  there  was  a  momentary  struggle  and  the 
little  fox  was  dead. 


Vixen 


H7 


The  mother's  love  was  strong  in  Vix,  but  a 
higher  thought  was  stronger.  She  knew  right 
well  the  poison's  power;  she  knew  the  poison 
bait,  and  would  have  taught  him  had  he  lived 
to  know  and  shun  it  too.  But  now  at  last  when 
she  must  choose  for  him  a  wretched  prisoner's 
life  or  sudden  death,  she  quenched  the  mother 
in  her  breast  and  freed  him  by  the  one  remain- 
ing door. 

•        •        •        .        . 

It  is  when  the  snow  is  on  the  ground  that 
we  take  the  census  of  the  woods,  and  when  the 
winter  came  it  told  me  that  Vix  no  longer 
roamed  the  woods  of  Erindale.  Where  she 
went  it  never  told,  but  only  this,  that  she  was 
gone. 

Gone,  perhaps,  to  some  other  far-off  haunt 
to  leave  behind  the  sad  remembrance  of  her 
murdered  little  ones  and  mate.  Or  gone,  may 
be,  deliberately,  from  the  scene  of  a  sorrowful 
life,  as  many  a  wild-wood  mother  has  gone,  by 
the  means  that  she  herself  had  used  to  free  her 
young  one,  the  last  of  all  her  brood. 


